The wait is finally over. Here is part of "The Secret Life of Mr. Hornet"! I hope you all enjoy it and understand what was happening to Hornet during the Gala of Goodness at the event of the movie.
Warning: This chapter might contain strong angst, so you better prepare a tissue right beside you. And if necessary, if you are familiar with the 3 songs I had stored here, you might wanna listen to the original songs since the lyrics here had changed while you read. Please take a moment to calm down, and get ready for the saddest parts of the chapter. Read every detail in the chapter as much as you can, guys. You have to and you need it.
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Previously on The Bad Guys:
"I can't believe Hornet's been with us for four years," Wolf smiled.
Snake rolled his eyes, feeling unsatisfied, "And I can't believe we still celebrate the day he came to us. This is just nonsense."
"Come on, Snake. This is Hornet. He's our friend," Wolf reminded his best friend about Hornet being part of the team.
"Yeah, our bug friend who was called a killer," Snake exclaimed quietly.
"I was just... thinking about my past... about my time with my own species," Hornet said quietly.
"Oh..." Piranha was surprised, "You never told us about that."
"Because I never want to."
"I know you don't want to talk about your past, but... I was curious... what happened to them? What happened to you?"
"I guess this calls for a road trip!" Wolf smirked as he flipped his car keys from his pocket, and caught them in his paws.
"What?" Hornet didn't expect Wolf would agree to this.
"Yes! A road trip!" Shark exclaimed excitingly.
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Intro
Mr. Wolf: Yeah! I'm bad!
Mr. Snake: You're bad!
Ms. Tarantula: He's bad!
Mr. Hornet: She's bad!
Mr. Piranha: We're bad!
Mr. Shark: Who's bad?
The Bad Guys: Yeah!
We're the Bad Guys!
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Five of the Bad Guys stared at the trees of the forest before moving their eyes at the dark hollow opening, the entrance of the forest.
"This is where you live before?" Piranha asked.
"Sure is! Come on!" Hornet flew down from the street, and into the forest.
The rest of the gang followed Hornet into the forest as they dropped themselves by sliding down from the platform of the road, and landed safely on the ground of the forest. They went a little deeper into the forest as the atmosphere was getting a little darker, but there was a little bit of light from above the trees.
"Wow, this place sure is dark on the inside." Shark commented.
"It's been a long time since I ever been here," Despite having issues with showing his friends his real home, he has nothing to do about it now but embrace that he was home and remember some memories he had in this place, "Check it out!" he gasped as flew directly to the rock with his friends behind him, "Oh, man. I missed this guy. Aww! It's my swirling rock," he then pointed to the other rocks, "And over there, that's the sitting rock. And that was the one rock that I crashed into two rocks!" Hornet began to fly around his "swirling rock" until he reached the top, and sat on it.
"Uh, how long did you live here?" Piranha questioned.
"For a while, I guess, um, at least until I... uh... moved away," that was all Hornet has to say before he could spill more beans. Then, Hornet flew around while letting his friends wander their eyes all over the forest, until he bumped into a tree. He looked up, and then smiled, remembering this tree anywhere, "Hey, guys! Look! Here's the hive I came out of!" he called 4 of his friends, getting their attention
"Hang on," Wolf said as he and the others ran towards the tree, "What?"
"It's my hive!" Hornet squealed as he flew into the hollow of the tree, and into the hive, "Still got that good hive smell."
"You live in this hive?" Tarantula clarified. She could walk into the hollow of the tree since she's small enough to fit in, and found the hive where Hornet was.
"This is where I was born and grew up, along with my colony," Hornet explained.
While Wolf, Shark, and Piranha were outside, they could still see the hive in the hollow. But they and Tarantula stared at the hive, and noticed that it was big and there were lots and lots of combs. It seemed there might be thousands of hornets living in this hive.
"So... what happened to the rest of the colony?" Wolf asked.
Just then, a familiar voice was heard on the road not so far from where the Bad Guys were.
"There you are!" Snake yelled as the bus behind him drove off. He looked around in disgust, and leaped off the platform.
Hornet then exited the hollow, and groaned, "Great. Here comes the fun police."
"When I found out you guys disappeared from our home, I knew you'd be here, but I didn't want to believe it," Snake told the gang, and then his eyes pointed at Hornet, "Hornet, what were you thinking bringing our friends... here?!"
"I don't know. They asked me to," Hornet had his arms crossed while trying to avoid eye contact with Snake.
"Hey, Snake. Hornet said he used to live here," Wolf happily reported
Snake then glaring back at Hornet, "How much did you tell them?
"What? You mean about the murder thing?" Hornet angrily reminded how Snake saw in him for 4 years, "How this murderous place is where Murder Hornets live to make more colonies of Murder Hornets? Is that what you're talking about?!"
"Hornet, I don't want you to say that in front of the guys!" Snake exclaimed angrily.
"Oh, but don't worry, guys. Everything's just fine now-" Hornet told his friends, pretending to calm his friends from the danger of his species, just like Snake ever wanted from him.
"Hornet!" Snake growled at him, demanding Hornet to stop talking.
"It all worked out. All of those murder hornets are all gone."
"Stop!"
"And nobody come ever near this place-"
"Stop!"
"So no one could get killed by murderous bugs like me!"
"Hornet!" Snake moved between Hornet and the rest of the gang, and shouted at him while shoving Hornet gently with his tail, "That's enough!"
Hornet just flittered away in anger.
Shark, Piranha, and Tarantula were confused of what was happening between Snake and Hornet, while Wolf was worried that things might get too intense in here.
"Whoa, Snake, baby, calm down," Shark said.
Snake turned to his friends in worry, "Guys, please, we shouldn't have come here in the first place."
"Then why don't you just... LEAVE!" It came out of nowhere, Hornet suddenly grabbed Snake by the tail and threw him around easily like he is a lasso. Snake crashed right into a nearby old and rotten tree, nearly hitting his head as well.
As he looked up, he found Hornet about to headbutt right into him, "Admit it! I'm just an embarrassment to you!"
Snake quickly dodged before Hornet could hit him. The latter quickly stopped himself from hitting head-first into the wood, growling in frustration as he turned around with livid eyes.
Not wanting to let Snake and Hornet fight each other because of their size and species. Tarantula tried to hold Hornet back, "Hornet! Wait!" But Hornet held Tarantula up, and threw her aside, preventing her to be caught in the middle of the fight.
Snake got up, and shouted, "I don't want to fight you!"
"I wouldn't want to fight me neither!" Hornet growled furiously.
With no other words to exchange, Hornet immediately rushed in to try to hit Snake once again. This time, Snake used his tail to defend himself. The two clashed with each other as if parrying with Hornet at one point even using his stinger against Snake's hard tail. After trading these blows, Hornet tried to headbutt once again, but Snake leaned back before headbutting himself into Hornet.
"Guys, stop it!" Wolf pleaded as he, Shark, and Piranha rushed towards the reptile and the insect to stop them from fighting each other.
"Stay out of this!" Hornet quickly grabbed a long tree branch right next to him, and threw it at his three friends' feet, causing Wolf, Shark, and Piranha to trip down by the branch
Hornet wasn't taken down so easily, trying to take a swipe, but Snake quickly slithered under him and used his tail again to kick Hornet from behind.
Hornet was sent flying, but he used his wings before he could crash into the ground.
Snake didn't take any chances before grabbing Hornet with his tail in a firm grip. In Snake's mind, this kid needs to learn! "Hornet, stop this! You can't beat me."
"I... DON'T... CARE!" Not holding back, Hornet used his body to move around, whipping Snake around as well. Only when he let go, Hornet grabbed him once again and threw him back, "I'm NOT gonna let you stand there and remind me of everything I HATE ABOUT MYSELF!"
Without even aiming for another tree, Snake fell back onto the ground, barely harmlessly.
When Snake got a chance to get up, he looked up at Hornet, who approached him a little closer, and the bug started to cry, "I never asked for it to be this way, okay?! I never even asked to meet you guys those years ago! I never asked to be born, and I never asked to exist at all!"
"Hornet," Snake was shocked sympathetically that Hornet was upset about himself, and hated himself at being born as a Murder Hornet.
And then, Wolf, Shark, Piranha, and Tarantula stepped in between Snake and Hornet, preventing them to engage in another fight.
"Hornet, please, no more! We know you're upset, but, fighting each other was never the answer!" Wolf said, learning from his own experience.
Just then, an old and rotten tree that Hornet threw Snake at earlier started to fall down toward the gang. Only the five of them moved away from the path of the falling tree, but saw Hornet haven't moved yet. Hornet began flying away as the tree collapsed, disappearing from the Bad Guys' sight.
When the tree crashed on the ground, things were safe now, but Hornet was nowhere to be seen.
"Hornet!" Piranha and Tarantula called out to their little friend as they spread out to search for their friend
"Where are you?!" Piranha exclaimed, trying to find Hornet on the ground
While Piranha was looking for Hornet, Tarantula looked up at the hollow of the tree where Hornet's hive would be, and guessed that he might be in there.
Tarantula crawled into the hollow, and found Hornet cowering and weeping inside his comb of the hive, "Hornet!"
"Go away. I'm bad, and you shouldn't be around me," Hornet sniffed.
Tarantula said, "What? That's ridiculous. Look, I don't know what is going on with you, but-"
"Yeah, you don't," Hornet cut her off, still not turning to look at her, "'Cause if you did, you wouldn't be talking to me."
Then, Tarantula realized no matter what she would say, Hornet won't listen to her... but he'll listen to Snake since Hornet cared about what Snake thought about him, and he took it seriously.
Thinking Snake could help Hornet gain his self-esteem again, Tarantula peeped out of the hole where Wolf, Snake, Shark, and Piranha were waiting outside, "Snake, get in here. You got to help me."
"But-" Snake hesitated at first, knowing that Hornet was still angry at him, and he didn't want Snake to be around him in there.
"You have to talk to him," Tarantula said.
When Snake turned to the rest of the gang, Wolf gestured to get into the hollow to make amends with Hornet.
Since the hollow was big enough for Snake to get inside, he slid inside, and spotted Hornet, still curling inside his comb, "Hornet...?" The bug didn't answer, but Snake then continued to explain, "Hornet, I had no idea you've been upset about this."
"What?! You had no idea!?" Hornet finally faced Snake with tears in his eyes, "Ha! This is, like, my entire existence! You want to pretend that none of this ever happened! You think I'm just a big mistake! You think I'm just a big mistake of ever be part of your team," he grabbed his head in grief.
"No, no. Hornet, you're not the mistake. You're just part of a... big mistake," Snake blushed embarrassingly in the realization that he made things worse. Hornet didn't say a word but shed a tear. While the rest of the gang was watching, Wolf facepalmed in disappointment. Snake then tried to take his words back, "...No, that's not- I... I just never thought of this as you," he gestured his eyes and tail around, referring to the hive where a colony of hornets used to live, like Hornet himself, "None of this is your fault. You didn't make this colony. I... I'm sorry, Hornet," Snake teared up in guilt, "I hope you can forgive me. You're the one good thing that came out of this dangerous place. I always thought you were proud of that." He extended his tail towards Hornet.
Now that Snake and Hornet reconciled, Wolf then stepped forward, and said, "Hornet, I know you don't want this, but could you at least please tell us about yourself?"
"You're making a big deal out of this, Hornet, and we just want to help you," Tarantula added.
Deep inside, Hornet still hesitated to tell his friends everything about his past, but they will not stop asking him until he confessed. He sighed as he turned to face the tree, and placed a hand on the bark, "This... this is my hive. Where I was born and grew. Unlike you guys, I was born good."
"What do you mean by that?" Piranha asked confusingly.
As memories flashed before his eyes, Hornet explained, "I wasn't born... a bad guy. I was born being... good. Being a nice one. But my colony isn't. I was just a little grub at that time, and after 2 weeks, I was happy I grew up to be an adult hornet. I can finally fly along with my fellow hornets. I was greeting them, and smiled at them, but... they didn't greet me back. I didn't mind. Hornets can be grouchy and rude, and I was the only one being so good and nice and polite. Things that my species would do is fight in a war, hunt for food, and feed the nursery. Me? Well, I sometimes did many of those things."
"So, let me get this straight," Wolf interrupted the story, wanting to clarify things that Hornet told them, "One of the things you did back then was joining a war?"
"Yeah, I was one of the hornets who participated in the war when another colony of hornets came to invade my hive," Hornet replied.
"You joined a war? Since when do you join a war when you don't even have any murder instincts?" Tarantula asked.
"I tried to reason with the queen that murdering someone won't solve any problem, but she excused me, so I... obeyed her," Hornet explained.
"What?" Snake called out.
"I kinda obeyed her, and I joined the war," the little insect repeated.
"But then you killed someone?" Piranha questioned curiously.
"No!" Hornet replied as he paced around, "I didn't. I witnessed the war, and it was a whole murder zone there, so I retreated to my hive, and my fellow hornets wanted to drag me back out there. But the queen let me be, and she was disappointed. And the way that happened, I felt like I'm a... coward."
This made everyone gasp since they knew Hornet as one of the bravest members of the Bad Guys, but hearing him being a coward was unbelievable.
Then Piranha said, "Aaah, but then you killed someone."
Everyone then shouted at Piranha, "NO!"
"What about the food hunting?" Shark changed the topic when he remembered mentioned about him hunting for food.
"Well, I did hunt for food, but it's plants, and my colony never liked it. But the other hornets brought meat instead. Murder Hornets were known to feed on protein, which most of it was meat, of course. I was disgusted how they ate dead innocent insects there, so I retreated back in my comb, and started eating plants," Hornet confessed while remembering the time of his first food, and his first witness of his fellow hornets eating other bugs.
"So that's why you're a vegetarian," Piranha understood.
"It brings bad disgusting thoughts whenever I see meat," Hornet admitted.
Wolf sighed, and asked, wanting to go back to the real topic, "Okay, so what exactly did you do in the hive?"
Hornet then continued, "Only I did was read good books and eat plants. I even participated in other hornet activities in the hive, but I wasn't allowed to do anything that my fellow hornets do, and they didn't even get close to me, but I didn't mind. I knew they were so busy. I even had time with the queen, but she's always been busy. But you know, despite living in a cruel hive, I still love my colony, and... we could be like this until the end... At least... That's what I thought."
"Did something happened?" Snake questioned.
Hornet looked down as he let his memories come back to him, the bad ones, "In late autumn, the hornets were now planning for the future. Female hornets are going to be queens one day, so us male hornets have to do what we have to do with females. If you know what I mean," when Hornet explained that way, the rest of the gang nodded without mentioning the specific term of the part of a cycle of a hornet. Hornet then shook his head, and continued, "And after that, we would die, even before winter or in early winter."
"But, what about you? What happened to you?" Piranha asked since Hornet was still alive to this day.
The queen was busy doing her own business while the other hornets were doing the same. Hornet was so restless, he wanted to get his colony's attention. He kept following the queen, even if she told him to stop. Hornet was desperate of wanting orders from the queen as he kept following her, and then flew in front of her with an exciting smile. The queen sighed as Present Hornet began to sing, voicing the queen's words.
Hornet: Here in the hive
I have orders for you
I'll show you how it's done
Here in the hive
Stay in your comb
This'll be so much fun
And then she smiled
That's what I'm after
The agreement of others
A safe peaceful order
Happy to listen
Happy to obey
Happily letting them watch me go drift away
Hornet had his whole body in his comb where he was hatched. It was dark, but he was able to read books, and he had food with him just in case he might get hungry and if it wasn't his time to come out of his comb yet.
Hornet: Happily waiting
All on my own
Inside my fun-loving comb
Counting the seconds
Reading and eating alone
As many and many days move on
Happily wondering
Hard if I might
Is this how it works?
Am I doing it right?
Happy to listen
Happy to obey
Happily watching them drift away
Back in the present, Hornet began to wander around the area while singing, and the Bad Guys kept following him to listen more of his story song. He even gave Tarantula a dead flower.
Hornet: You keep on turnin' pages
For people who don't care
People who don't care about you
But then, the flower Tarantula held wilted into pieces as it blew away by the wind.
Hornet: And still, it takes you ages
To see that no one's there
See that no one's there
See that no one's there
Everyone's gone on without you
Back in the past, finally, after he woke from his nap, Hornet turned around to the opening of his comb, and watched the whole scene of his hive. There, he didn't see his queen anymore, and his fellow male hornets were lying lifelessly on the floor of the hive and even on the roots of the tree.
Hornet: Finally something
Finally news
About how the story ends
My queen and other hornets' lives ended
The future queens were ready
And it's was time for them to leave to hibernate.
The future queens were now flying out of the nest for hibernation without realizing there was one more hornet left in the hive. Hornet was suddenly shocked that after so many days, which had already been months, no one seemed to remember about him being stuck in his own comb that the queen ordered him to do until her last days. He was there for quite a while, and no one had even talked to him or given him attention... It was like he was long invisible or gone for his fellow hornets. No one even dare to warn him that winter is almost coming, and that's why the future queens were now ready to leave.
Hornet got a chance to leave his comb after a long while, and flew out of the hive to get his fellow hornets' attention, but it was too late. After watching the other hornets were out of sight, Hornet dropped himself down from the air, and fell to the ground. He felt painful, heartbroken, and miserable. He could see now, for the first time ever, his own colony, his fellow hornets, and even his own queen never liked him since the beginning he was born. His fellow hornets left him all alone in his comb, and then the other ones who passed on left him to die. He even thought it was his queen's plot all along. Instead of letting other hornets kill him, they want him to die all alone and unloved. That was worse than death to him. Hornet had nothing else to do but watched tearfully that his surviving fellow hornets left without him, and kept remembering how his colony treated him so badly.
Hornet: Isn't that lovely?
Isn't that cool?
And isn't that cruel?
And aren't I a fool to have
Happily listened
Happy to obey
Happily watching them drift
Drift
Drift away
After that whole song, Hornet became silent... silently crying, The Bad Guys finally understood why Hornet made such a huge deal about not telling his past to them; he was abandoned and disowned by his own colony because he was completely different from them.
"Oh, Hornet. I can't believe your own colony did that to you," Tarantula felt sympathy for her little friend.
Snake then corrected, "Actually, I can totally believe it. You just told us."
"You know, we know how you feel..." Wolf approached Hornet to try to console him by putting his finger on the little bug's back.
But then, Hornet reactively shoved Wolf's finger away as if he was in a beast mod. The Bad Guys were startled but immediately reacted in fear, knowing Hornet's beast mode was far worse than a regular one. To protect himself and his friends, Shark grabbed a big bark of a tree that he could use as a shield from Hornet's wrath.
"Yeah, you must know all about life without me! RUB IT IN, WHY DON'T YA?!" Hornet cried while holding his tears in his eyes, and raised his stinger up, ready to pin down.
"No! It's not like that!" Shark exclaimed as the rest of the gang crawled under Shark's bark shield, and braced themselves, "You deserve better than this."
Hornet roared in anger as he swung, picked up a rock from the ground, and threw it into the hollow of the tree, destroying his rotten old hive in the process. He then sighed in defeat, kneeling down sadly on the ground.
Seeing that Hornet had his guard down, the Bad Guys finally stood up with Shark throwing the bark away.
"Hornet, we're so sorry that happened to you," Piranha said worriedly.
"It had been so horrible," Shark added.
"It was," Hornet turned his head, looking back to his friends with tears rolling down his face, "When I figured out my colony didn't love me, and I was left alone in the hive, I... I was staying there for the whole winter, and after that..., since I have nothing to do in my hive, I left. Flew away from here. It's far, but I did," he then wiped the tears with his arm, but more tears continued to flow, and memories kept reappearing in his mind, "For months, I was alone, living in the streets, until I met you guys. I accidentally flew to your hideout. You guys welcomed me, and nursed me back to health. I appreciated what you did for me. But when I found out you guys were criminals..., well, if I could be like you, being bad, and I won't be good like I used to be..., I wouldn't be alone anymore."
"You... gave up... being good," Wolf slowly guessed, "To avoid being abandoned?"
"I thought there was no other way. I have no choice. When I'm with you guys on my first days, I realized this was my second chance to finally have a family, a real family. When I got it, and stayed with you guys for years, I thought I could finally leave my past and forget about it," Hornet then flew on the fallen tree from earlier, and sat on it, "Until, the past came back to me."
"When?" Tarantula inquired.
"Last year... at the gala," Hornet confessed, hugging his knees together, "When you were all 'good guys', the guests started asking me questions about me, my species, my job here in the hive. It triggered my PTSD! All of their questions reminded me of my past! I... I couldn't bring myself to do the heist! It's too much for me to handle! So, I ended up drinking."
"But, you never drink," Shark stated, knowing Hornet never drank much
"Well, I did at the gala. I got so drunk, I lost my focus! But then, I saw you guys, and even though I was drunk, I still knew we're still pretending to be good that time while we continued the plan..." Hornet started to sob again, remembering his thoughts of his friends at the gala, "I thought you guys had fun without me! I thought you didn't think about what happened to me! You just continued with the heist without me, and I thought you guys abandoned me! So, I got mad, I didn't join the fun, and I drank some more!"
When Hornet confessed everything what he was doing back at the Gala of Goodness last year, the Bad Guys looked at each other, feeling shocked that Hornet thought they abandoned him that year. They couldn't believe he could think of something like that.
"So that's why you weren't there," Piranha whispered as approached a little closer towards his best friend, "Hornet, you have no idea, did you?" Hornet looked up to face Piranha, "While we continued the heist, and me singing, we were looking all over you!"
Hornet was shocked as he wiped a tear, continuing to listen more.
Tarantula then added, "It's true! We were so worried, and while we continued with the plan of the heist, we've been looking all over the party for you, and we thought you had already done your part with the heist, but... we haven't seen you during the party."
"Yeah, and we thought you've been taken, squished, stepped on, or got smacked! Baby, we were worried sick!" Shark cried worryingly.
Hornet couldn't believe what his friends told him; they weren't abandoning him at the gala all along, "You guys... were looking for me?"
"I mean, duh. We can't do the heist without you, but we had to. We didn't have any time left," Snake answered.
"Honestly, Hornet, where were you?" Wolf asked since he and his friends never found Hornet during the gala until they were framed that time.
He couldn't believe that Hornet himself was the one who abandoned his friends, not the other way around. Hornet sighed in guilt, "I was hiding. I thought you guys enjoyed pretending without me, and I didn't wanna ruin anything, so... I just hid and continued on with my misery."
"And you'd been dealing with your PTSD all this time," Wolf approached Hornet, and sat on the fallen tree next to him, "I wish you should've told us."
Hornet sniffed before glaring sharply at Wolf, "Why should I?! How can I even trust you when you were doing the same thing?!"
Wolf was shocked and confused about what Hornet was talking about him. Even the rest of the team looked at each other in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Wolf questioned.
"Don't you remember back in prison, when Snake asked you that we were holding you back from your decision of being good?! Then you said we are!" Hornet flew up while he was shouting at Wolf.
With Hornet reminding him of that day, Wolf could never forget that day he betrayed that day, and even blamed his friends for holding him back from his desire of being good. How could he ever forget that day? It was the first time he got into a real fight with Snake. But Snake wasn't the only one who got hurt, the rest of the team is: Shark, Piranha, Tarantula, and lastly, Hornet. Wolf even remembered how Hornet yelled at him at that same day the team split up. Wolf finally understood why Hornet reacted the same way Snake did.
"It's just like my colony thought of me...! That I was holding them back too because I'm so good and nice and different! That's why they left me to die!" Hornet began to cry real hard, "And you, Wolf, out of all the friends I know, you... you're just like them!" He turned away, and cried loudly, feeling hurt that one of his friends would be just like his colony.
Wolf felt so guilty that he emotionally hurt another friend because of what he said that day, and this friend triggered the worst thing that happened to his life, and Wolf made it happen again. Wolf then scooted over towards Hornet's side, and place a finger on his head, comforting him, "I'm so sorry, Hornet. I didn't know that hit you painfully. And I thought Snake hit it real hard," he looked at Snake, who was slightly nodded, admitting that he was also hurt that day. Wolf then turned back to Hornet, "But you... I didn't expect that from you..., and I didn't know it triggered you hardly."
Hornet then lifted his head with more tears in his eyes, "You really did me dirty, Wolf. To all of us."
"I know. I'm really sorry. I have no excuse," Wolf confessed sadly.
"I was still mad at you, you know." Hornet sniffed while looking back angrily at Wolf, "I knew things could come to this."
"What are you talking about?" Shark then inquired.
"Being good, it ended up to nothing! It's useless! It has done nothing to you, but make you feel so alone!" Hornet let out more tears from his eyes, letting out his real opinion about goodness.
"Hornet, are you saying... you still don't want to be good?" Piranha clarified what Hornet described as "good".
"And are you saying you're still pretending to be good?" Tarantula added her guess.
"I am!" Hornet finally admitted the feeling he had been bottling up for a year. The rest of the Bad Guys gasped in shock, "I have to! And I don't like being good! Not anymore! During our training with Marmalade, I made a lot of excuses to avoid being good, because it triggers me, and it might be true I would end up like my past again! And if you ever found out I know what was like to be good, you would leave me and abandon me!" Hornet sobbed once more. The more tears came out, the more things he bottled just came out of his system "I wasn't all bad like you guys. I was good from the start, but it RUINED ME!" He screamed in sadness, trying to let out a little amount of tears at a time before he could explode miserably.
Shark almost cried when Hornet was trying, but he tried to hold it in because he wasn't supposed to be one crying. He bent down to reach Hornet's level, "But why? Why are you still pretending to be good and never told us you feel this way?"
"I was just following you!" Hornet confessed, much to his friends' surprise. The way he said that, the confession meant that it wasn't his intention to change back to good like his friends did when they surrendered to the chief. He was only following them so he won't end up alone again, "I was following you guys. If you're bad, then I'll be bad. If you go down, then I'm going down. If you go good, then I have to take the risk. But deep down... I was hurt! I was hurt that I reaccepted my past, and go along with it! I never told you this because... it wasn't worth it! I'm just a worthless little loser who was trying to find the right life. The perfect life! The life that was meant for me! And I still couldn't find it! I lost it again... all because of this... this goodness!" More tears began to form in Hornet's eyes, flooding his vision and blurring his sight, "It was like the old me all over again: innocent, loving, stupid, naïve! All of my kindness and good deeds were a waste of winning my fellow hornets' trust! I got nothing from being good, and you weren't supposed to get the best things by being good, guys! Trust me! I've experienced that! I've experienced goodness, and I didn't feel a lot better back then! BEING GOOD RUINED MY LIFE! BEING GOOD DESTROYED MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY COLONY! IT ALMOST PULLED US SIX APART! IT RUINED EVERYTHING!" He threw himself down, lying face down on the tree, and cried into his own arms. His tears flowed down from the fallen tree, and made a small puddle on the ground.
The Bad Guys couldn't help but helplessly watch Hornet crying. After listening to his story and his explanation, the fivesome realized their little friend had been suffering through his life since the beginning he was born. Within his first years, he was neglected, disowned, and abandoned by his own colony for being the only good hornet in the hive. Within 3 years after he joined the team, Hornet had kept his past a secret from them and abandoned his good life to fit in and finally hav the family that he had always wished for. And throughout last year to now, Hornet had been bottling up his feelings about turning good again, and it triggered his PTSD. He had been bottling up his emotions so he could stay with his friends, wherever they go. He thought he could never EVER go back to his past again, but the past found him instead, and it haunted him, manipulated him that if he ever told the gang his secrets and his opinion about being good, they would leave him like his colony did. This affected his emotional health, and became so sensitive. Now that Hornet let them all out to his friends, there was nothing to do to stop his emotional state.
Even Snake felt guilty for his mistreatment towards Hornet. Snake always thought a hornet of his species would be murderous, and Hornet would be one, but he was wrong. Hornet wasn't a dangerous, killer, or murderous one after all. He was the exact opposite of that fact. Hornet was a sweet innocent bug in his hive, and Snake never believed he would be so nice when he first joined the team. Snake had been unfair to Hornet for 4 years, and after hearing his life story, the reptile wished he could go back in time to make up the way he treated the little one.
Piranha felt like he couldn't stand there and watch Hornet cry. He just had enough recalling his past, and feared his friends would leave him alone forever. The fish approached closer to Hornet, and placed a fin on top of his back, "That's not true, Hornet. You already found the life that was meant for you: It's with us."
Hornet slowly turned his grief down as he looked up to his friends.
"Yeah. We're your friends, baby. You should've told us everything, and we could've helped you," Shark added, wiping a tear from his eye.
"And we wouldn't force you to be good again if that's how you feel. We don't want you to carry that feeling for too long, Hornet. You could've opened up to us about how you've been feeling with your life and your past," Wolf smiled pitifully.
"We get why you didn't tell us, but you do know keeping your miserable past for yourself is bad for you. You've bottled your emotions for quite a while, and it's not very good for your health; emotionally and mentally," Tarantula suggested.
"Yeah, so knock it off! Move on, bug! You weren't needed in this forest anyway! Get on with your past miserable life already!" Snake snapped, until he realized he went too far.
Hornet turned around to face Snake in rage. Off-screen, Snake was pushed by an extreme force with Shark and Tarantula ducked and covered, and Snake crashed onto another tree.
"Yeah, I deserved that!" Snake grunted as he fell from the tree.
Piranha was shocked by how Hornet threw Snake at a tree so easily, despite of his size, "Ay caramba! Even I haven't gone that angry before, and I usually get riled up easily."
Hornet's anger then faded, and explained, "You don't know what it's like. As long I got these PTSDs, I could never move on. Back when I was a good guy, I thought being good to my colony would make my kind like me even more, and they would be good to me in return. But, I was blinded by hope that I never knew my fellow hornets and my queen never liked me, and abandoned me to die. I felt so alone and miserable. Until I met you guys, and I was happy. I even thought it would be like this forever, but...." Hornet couldn't hold it in anymore as he broke into tears once more, and hid his face in his hands.
His friends slowly surrounded him, and lowered themselves to reach his level, Tarantula crawling down from Shark's shoulders, and came beside Hornet.
Piranha then scooped him up into his hands, "Oh, Hornet."
"I hate this! I hate being good! I was a freak, I was so different! My own colony never loved me, and....I still couldn't move on, and..." Hornet kept on crying while turning to Tarantula, "How long have I been with you guys?"
"4 years. It's your 4th anniversary," Tarantula clarified.
"4 years?! It's been 4 years, and I still couldn't get on with it! Just...just go. Go on being good without me! Go fight crime and be vigilantes without me!" The little insect covered his face with his hands again, and cried.
"Hornet, it's gonna be okay," Wolf said, gently patting Hornet's head with his finger.
"No! It's... it's not! I'm-I'm a loser! Just-just leave me alone!" Hornet flew behind his friends, and laid down on the ground.
"You know we can't leave you alone like this," Piranha stated.
"Then, just let me cry right here!" Hornet grabbed a dry leaf, and covered himself with it like a blanket as he cried underneath.
Feeling very sorry for their little friend, the Bad Guys couldn't leave Hornet crying like this or alone at all. They wanted to cheer him up, reminding him that he still had them as his family. But the team knew they couldn't tell him through words.
Then, Tarantula had an idea as her eyes widened, and smiled. She started to sing all of a sudden, without a warning.
Tarantula: We're a thousand miles from comfort!
We have traveled land and sea!
But as long as you are with me
There's no place I'd rather be!
When he heard Tarantula singing, Hornet slightly lifted the dry leaf to see his friends with just one of his watery eyes.
Now, it's Shark's turn to sing.
Shark: I would wait for forever!
Exalted in the scene!
As long as I am with you
My heart continues to beat!
Then, this part of the song made Hornet poke his head out from under the dried leaf. The song worked. They have to keep singing this song. It was Wolf's turn now.
Wolf: With every step we take
A single move we make
Strollin' so casually!
Then Piranha...
Piranha: We're different, and the same
Gave you another name!
Switch up the batteries!
The Bad Guys looked down at Hornet. He was confused about why his friends suddenly stopped. Then, through facial expressions, they gestured to him to sing the first line of the chorus. Hornet hesitated at first, but he couldn't let his friends wait, as he sniffled, and said the next line of the song, "If you gave me a chance, I would take it?"
Bad Guys (sans Hornet): It's a shot in the dark, but I'll make it!
Bad Guy (with Hornet): Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me!
When they all continued singing the song, Hornet lifted the leaf from him as he slowly flew up. Piranha then offered his hand to him as he flew onto it.
Bad Guys: When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be!
N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be!
N-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be!
N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be
(Oh!)
Hornet's tears slowly dried up, but his eyes were still watery. He was getting a little better. The song continued with Tarantula playing her mp3 player, and raised the volume up to MAX.
Shark: We staked out on a mission
To find our inner peace!
Make it everlasting
So nothing's incomplete!
Piranha: It's easy being with you
Sacred simplicity!
As long as we're together
There's no place I'd rather be!
Tarantula: With every step we take
A single move we make
Strolling' so casually!
Snake: We're different, and the same
Gave you another name!
Switch up...
Wolf and Snake: The batteries!
Bad Guys: If you gave me a chance
I would take it!
It's a shot in the dark, but I'll make it!
Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me!
When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be!
N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be
N-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be!
N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be
Hornet: When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be, yeah!
Bad Guys: Be...
Piranha: Ooooohhhhhh!
Bad Guys: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
If you gave me a chance, I would take it!
It's a shot in the dark, but I'll make it!
Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me!
When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be!
N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be!
N-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be!
N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be!
When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be
After the song, the Bad Guys cheered and laughed as they all felt a lot better, especially Hornet.
"Thanks, guys." He flew to each of his friends, and hugged them one by one, and made a soft sniffle, "You're all the best."
"Awww, we love you, Hornet," Shark cooed.
"Mm-hmmm, you're our bug," Snake smiled slyly.
"Yeah, no matter what, good or bad, we would NEVER abandon you...ever," Wolf reassured him as he patted Hornet with his finger again.
The Bad Guys shared another warm group hug.
But, despite all of that hug and the song, Snake could sense Hornet was still sad inside. He released from the hug first, and said, "Ah, who needs your queen or your entire colony, Hornet? You still got us!"
Shark nodded, "Yeah, who needs them? They might not like you for who you are, but we do!"
"If that's not what a real family or friends would do, I don't know what it is," Tarantula winked.
This made Hornet smile a little. He appreciated what his friends did for him to cheer him up, but the atmosphere is a little heavy for him here.
Wolf then looked around, and realized the dark forest still reminded Hornet about his past as he suggested, "You know, I think we should forget about the past and move on."
"I think that's a great idea," Piranha agreed, "I think we should start by getting out of here.
With the whole gang understanding the situation, the Bad Guys walked up to the steep slope where the street would be. They began to climb up, and it was a bit hard for Wolf, Snake, Shark, and Piranha's case, but they managed to get up.
When they made it back on the road, they headed to the car, the key to gett out of the place. When the Bad Guys got inside, everything was okay, but Wolf noticed Hornet was looking at the window, staring at the forest, his former home. Hornet couldn't get over the fact he came back to his original home to confess to his friends everything about his past. It took him a while and encouragement from his friends to let his bottled emotions out. The emotions he bottled for the last 4 years.
"Don't look back, Hornet," Wolf said, which startled Hornet a bit as he looked away from the window to glance at Wolf, "Remember, you're with us now. Forget your colony. Forget your home here."
"You're already home, with us," Snake stated.
"We're your real home," Piranha cooed while holding Hornet in his fins.
"And we're your real family," Tarantula placed a hand gently on Hornet's hand.
"And we promise we would never leave you alone," Shark gently patted Hornet's head.
Hornet quietly nodded and smiled as he tried his best to forget his past now his friends were there to comfort him.
When Wolf drove the car around to head in the direction of home, the car was so quiet. It was like there was no communication in this family, and rather stayed quiet with their thoughts. Through his rear-view mirror, Wolf could see Hornet at the back, feeling so miserable, and his smile turned upside-down again.
Wolf sighed. He realized the words from himself and his friends still won't cheer Hornet up. Their words of wisdom truly helped Hornet cope with his sufferings from his past, but it's not enough to cheer him a bit.
"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up. Who wants ice cream?!" Wolf declared.
Shark, Piranha, and Tarantula cheered in excitement.
"Me, me!" Piranha jumped in his seat in excitement with Hornet flying up from his fins.
"Yeah!" Shark exclaimed.
They were now looking back at Hornet, waiting for his response if he wanted some ice cream.
When he looked at his friends, eager to know what he thought, Hornet rolled his eyes, and answered, "I do like ice cream."
"Perfect! Now let's find some ice cream parlor around here," Wolf said, expecting Hornet to help him.
Glad that Hornet brought his helmet as he turned the HUD effect of his helmet, and entered the location of the nearest ice cream parlor.
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After they got ice cream, Wolf got vanilla, Snake got raspberry, Shark got mint, Piranha got strawberry, Tarantula got cookies and cream, and Hornet got chocolate, and all of them used cones. While he was driving, Wolf held the ice cream cone with one paw, and the other was on the wheel.
"This ice cream sure is good," the leader of the Bad Guys commented.
"I think I'm cooled down with this," Snake chuckled as he continued to lick his ice cream.
But Hornet still didn't eat his as he just sadly watch his ice cream melting.
While Piranha was eating his ice cream, he noticed Hornet touched his ice cream yet, and a trail of melted chocolate ice cream rolled down on the cone, "Come on, Hornet. Eat your ice cream before it melts. We know you like chocolate."
Hornet looked back at Piranha, who nodded at him, encouraging him to eat his ice cream. Since the ice cream was slowly melting, and he didn't want it to go to waste, Hornet took just a small lick of his ice cream
"That's it! You're getting it!" Shark cheered for Hornet as he was watching the little bug eat.
Hornet giggled that his friends cheered for him for just eating ice cream. He sure has such good friends. Hornet continued to eat his ice cream.
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At night, when the Bad Guys were now sleeping in the car where Wolf parked it at the rest area, Hornet sat on top of Piranha's head, who was asleep. The bug stared at the stars in the night sky. His mind was empty. He didn't know what to do next in his life now he told his friends everything. He didn't know how to move on either. He believed his friends keep their promise, but he didn't feel like moving on just yet. What would he do now?
"Hey, Hornet, are you awake?"
Hornet turned around, and saw Snake slithering from the front seat.
"Yeah. I can't sleep," Hornet murmured quietly.
Seeing that Hornet was still sad after what happened, Snake felt guilty his little friend felt this way, "Listen, Hornet, what I learned about you, I realized you're kinda like me. I don't want to be good and doubted I could be good because everybody sees me as a bad guy, inside and out. While you, you're different. You don't wanna be good because you don't want to be abandoned, like your colony did. We promised we'll never abandon no matter, whether you're good or bad. But because of my own experience, I realized I can be good... only if I want to, and only for you and the gang."
Hornet chuckled a bit.
Then, Snake continued, "But you know, I know you don't want to go back to that path, but... maybe it's for the best that you give goodness a second chance."
"I don't think it would be easy."
"It won't be easy. But, Hornet, this isn't the past anymore. Things changed. Your colony never accepted you because you're good, but we do. And if you give a good life a second chance, it won't be the same. We will accept you, even the rest of the world, only if they want to. Just think of it. If you do give a good life a second chance, you'll see it was everything you've worked for. And if it doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be. I know. I've been there. I've experienced everything. When I denied doing good, I almost let everyone down. I almost let you guys down. And I don't want you to let us down. I just don't want you to be alone, Hornet. You've been alone since you've been abandoned, and I don't want that to happen to you again. Just give it a try, be good once in a while, and you'll see it won't be like your past, because things are gonna be different from now on. This is gonna be your new life of being good."
"But how can I find it?" Hornet looked back at Snake with tears in his eyes.
"Well, if you want to give a good life a second chance, you're going to find it yourself," Snake gently placed the tip of his tail on Hornet's back, comforting the little guy, "Go out there, think of a way, and maybe it will help you move on for sure. I don't want you to be left out, Hornet, just like me. I also thought I would never be good, but I did it in my own way."
Hornet sighed. Knowing Snake, he knew it's not gonna be easy for the latter to accept goodness, but the former was surprised that Snake was giving him good advice, "How could you change your mind so easily?"
"You guys," Snake smiled, pointing out it was the gang who encouraged him to be good, even if he denied it every time, "You know we're here for you, and we will support you. Whatever you choose to be, you're never alone."
Hornet nodded as he wiped his tears away, "Thanks, Snake."
Snake smiled, then frowned in guilt, "Look, I'm also sorry for how I treated all these years."
"It's okay. I learned to live with it. I mean, I've been there," Hornet said, recalling his colony's mistreatments of him.
But Snake knew what Hornet was thinking as he replied, "But I promise I will make it up to you, and treat you fairly."
"You don't have to if you don't want to. I know you very well," Hornet chuckled as Snake nodded in agreement, "But I know, deep down, you were looking out for me too."
"You better get some sleep. We have to get back on the road in the morning," Snake patted Hornet on the head with his tail, and slithered back to his seat, "Goodnight, Hornet."
"Goodnight, Snake," Hornet said. Hornet then looked back, watching the stars.
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After a long trip, with stops along the way, the Bad Guys made it home to their hideout. The elevator ascended them and their car to their hideout. Home Sweet Home at last.
"Whoo! What a road trip!" Shark exclaimed, stretching his fins up.
"18 hours of driving. It is pretty far from here," Wolf threw the keys aside, and fixed his suit.
But then, he noticed Hornet flew towards the couch, and sit there, staring at the television that wasn't on. Hornet was still very sad and also tired from letting out his emotions at his friends. The rest of the Bad Guys gathered around the couch, and accompanied the grieving hornet.
"Come on, Hornet. You've been like this since we left. Can you at least forget about your past and move on?" Tarantula suggested.
"I... I don't know it would be that easy," Hornet shook his head, "I thought I already moved on, but... the past just haunts me in any circumstances."
Feeling bad that Hornet might not move on very soon, Piranha had an idea as he jumped off the couch, and ran into Hornet's room. He came back a second later, and had his fins behind his back, "You know what'll cheer me up when I'm sad?" Hornet just shook his head, answering no, "Singing!" Piranha took out something behind his back, and it was a small red electric guitar, "And I know you love your guitar, so you should sing a song, let out all of your sadness. That way, you'll feel better."
Hornet hesitated with the idea at first, but this was Piranha, his best friend. This fish knew exactly what Hornet needed, and this bug needed to be cheered up, and music might do the trick, "Sure."
Hornet took the guitar, and his friends moved aside to let Hornet sing with his thoughts.
Hornet: Forget them and their rules and their reputation and their job
And their broke-down hive and the crimes of their lives
Forget them and their faces that I'll never see again
Everybody but their dignity, they can all get lost
I swear I meant to mean the best when it ended
Even tried to bite my tongue when they start, hmm
They were trying to force me to be just like all of them
I never even liked it in the first place
Trying to be good for them for their attention
I only did my job in two days, what a connection
It's like they were waiting for my execution
They were goin' all about it in the worst ways
I recalled my past, but I'm ovеr it now
And I was tryna be nice
But nothing's getting through, so let me spell it out
A-B-C-D-E, forget them
And their rules and their reputation and their job
And their broke-down hive and the crimes of their lives
Forget them and their faces that I'll never see again
Everybody but their dignity, they can all get lost
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na
A-B-C-D-E, forget them
My queen said I have to stay in my comb and so I did it
When I had nothin' to say, they just let me
They really think I'm a-, so I became it
Always thought of me as a loser and a weakling
I recalled my past, but I'm ovеr it now
And I was tryna be nice
But nothing's getting through, so let me spell it out
A-B-C-D-E, forget them
And their rules and their reputation and their job
And their raspy mouths and their buzzing sounds
Forget them and their faces that I'll never see again
Everybody but their dignity, they can all get lost
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na
A-B-C-D-E, forget them
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na
A-B-C-D-E, forget them
And their rules and their reputation and their job
And their raspy mouths and their buzzing sounds
Forget them and their faces that I'll never see again
Everybody but their dignity, they can all get lost
After the song, Hornet exhaled as he finally and completely released his emotions and was motivated to move on from the pain and suffering he had experienced for all these years, and completely accepted his new life with his best friends in the world, "Ah, much better."
The Bad Guys were shown to be frozen in shock. After listening Hornet's song, they were surprised he was one tough cookie. They could imagine if he had sung that song in front of his colony, they would be dead to him and be burned to the ground... though they were already dead. When Hornet was heading to his room, and threw the guitar away, Piranha was able to catch it. The rest of the team just watched the confident Hornet heading to his room and shut the door behind him.
"That bug is full of secrets," Snake spoke after a minute of silence.
In his room, instead of feeling miserable and quiet, Hornet was very happy that he finally shared his feeling with his friends, and it ended up with a good result. His friends still never left him, and they promised to stay with him as long as he lives. Hornet didn't expect his friends to respond like that, but it was their choice with him, and he couldn't stop them from doing that. He wasn't happy because he told his friends everything. He wasn't happy because he let out his bottled emotions. He wasn't happy that finally moved one from his past. He's happy because his friends are there for him, and they treated him as a family, unlike his colony ever did. The Bad Guys might not be his biological family, but they are his family by bond and love, and, whether they are bad or good, Hornet wouldn't trade his only friends for the world.
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Credits:
Sam Rockwell - Mr. Wolf
Marc Maron - Mr. Snake
Craig Robinson - Mr. Shark
Anthony Ramos - Mr. Piranha
Awkwafina - Ms. Tarantula
Rhenzy Feliz - Mr. Hornet
Author
I.M. Rally
Co-Author
MasterClass60
TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3
So you're a tough guy
Like it really rough guy
Just can't get enough guy
Chest always so puffed guy
I'm that bad type
Make your mama sad type
Make your girlfriend mad tight
Might seduce your dad type
I'm the bad guy
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Well, I spent 2-4 days writing this story along with my two best friends, and I never sent them the saddest parts. While writing this chapter, the story burst me to tears, and I read this chapter several times as an experiment if this chapter contained tearjerkers and angst, so good thing you guys had your tissues beside you, huh? Well, I hope you like this chapter, and understand Mr. Hornet's dark past.
The beginning part of the chapter was a reference to Steven Universe: On The Run, which includes Snake and Hornet's fight scene, which was similar to Amethyst and Pearl's fight scene in the same episode.
The way Hornet explained his experience in the war with his fellow hornets to his friend was similar to Wolf explaining to his friends how he saved an "old lady" from the movie.
Around the part of Hornet singing the song "Drift Away" was a reference from Steven Universe: The Movie. Hornet's Drift Away song was a parody to the original song, but only with lyrics changing. The song doesn't belong to me.
The song, "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit, doesn't belong to me. Only one line was changed.
The scene where the Bad Guys sang the song "Rather Be" to Hornet to cheer him up was a reference to Turning Red where Miriam, Priya, and Abby sang Nobody Like U to Mei.
Hornet's ABCDEFU song was a parody to the original song (nicer version) by Gayle, with a lot of lyrics changed from Hornet's point of view. Originally, Hornet was supposed to sing "Set It All Free" by Scarlett Johansson, but I decided to use ABCDEFU (nicer version) instead. I had fallen in love with song since my spring semester in college last February while planning for future fanfiction of the Bad Guys, and I planned to use this song one day... and I did!
There are elements that were recalled from the movie: Marmalade's Goodness Training, the Gala of Goodness, and Wolf and Snake's argument in prison.
To clarify, Muder Hornet's lifespan was short. The Queen Hornet's lifespan was just one year, the females, known as workers, could live months to a year as future queens of their own future colonies. Male hornets, like our Mr. Hornet, could only live months (3-5 to be exact), and male hornets died shortly after mating with females. And because Mr. Hornet was ordered by the queen to stay in his comb without telling the exact date to leave, he had been living inside of his comb for the rest of his days, all alone and unbothered, avoiding other hornet activities. Miraculously, his healthy diet of eating just plants that he stored in his own comb and... avoid following the life cycle of a male Murder Hornet. Mr. Hornet had surpassed his life span, and outlived his fellow hornets, including his queen. Those were two of the reason he was still alive to this day. Despite this, Hornet and his colony were all anthropomorphic like the Bad Guys, Diane, and Marmalade.
Special thanks to TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3 and MasterClass60 for helping me with this chapter. TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3 was in charge of the fight scene between Snake and Hornet, and MasterClass60 helped me retrieve the lyrics of Rather Be when I lost it months ago.
I hope you liked this chapter so far. Please review my chapter for feedback. Please! Also, please review my last 3 chapters for feedback!