Chapter Text
The streets of Castle Town were filled by the voices of the newly arrived darkners. Prince Ralsei hurried to rush from one citizen to another, making sure to fulfill their requests. He seemed tired, but, in the end, that was his job. So many new stores and bars had opened, and each of them had its flow of people entering and leaving.
The town had never been so full of people, it was bustling, alive.
And then, there he was, Mr. Ant Tenna. But it wasn’t the usual TV host everybody knew. His body was tense, his tail wasn’t flicking, he didn’t have his usual, perfect smile. The bustle of the town didn’t excite him, nor did the sight of his employees walking around. His mind was too busy dwelling over the same thoughts, over and over. That old contract, the mailman… and that interaction.
That voice, that line! Could it have really been him?
Screw it, screw it. He needed to stop thinking about it, about him. He was never going to come back, that was for sure.
And then…
“Mr. Tenna!” A cheerful, yet polite voice called his name. He turned around, but… nobody was in front of him. Therefore, he lowered his gaze. The small prince had been waving at him for a while now.
“Ah, yes! Hello!” he straightened, trying to look as cheerful as usual. Though, Ralsei had seemed to notice something was off.
“Are you enjoying your time in the town so far?” He questioned.
“Oh why, of course I am!“ Tenna’s voice cracked twice throughout the sentence, but he tried to remain as calm as possible.
“Good to know… you see Mr. Tenna, I’ve noticed you seemed a little unwell these days. If you ever need me, do not hesitate to ask!”
At those words, Tenna shrunk drastically.
“Oh, but prince Ralsei, I am unwell! I’ve been missing, I’ve been needing someone! Someone I cannot find!”
“May I ask their name? Perhaps… I could see if they live in town."
Tenna sized up again. “Really-?”
Although he remembered how his name was known by all his employees. He couldn’t say it in public, not out loud.
“Though, it’s quite a private matter…”
The prince nodded, then raised his head to look back at Tenna.
“If you feel the need to, you can come tell me privately this evening, I’ll be doing some chores in the castle."
“Perfect then.” Tenna smiled, as he tended his hand. Compared to Ralsei’s one, it was enormous, therefore, the small darkner grabbed the CRT’s index, politely shaking it as if it was his whole hand.
After that brief interaction, Tenna returned home. He placed his jacket on the coathanger, letting out a long sigh. His home wasn't very decorated, or cluttered either. That place didn't feel like home anyways. He had actually loads of decorations he could have used, but he was too tired to open all those boxes and take all those old memories out.
The only thing that he had taken out of a box was the pipis, who was safely sitting on an armchair in the living room.
She was themost precious thing he owned, his ‘soon to be’ child. Or well, sort of. Because ten whole years had passed, and yet, the egg still hadn't hatched.
After resting a little, he left the house again, heading towards the castle. He felt thrilled, the thought that he could have seen Spamton again got him giddy.
He stopped in front of the castle’s door gates, to then knock on them.
Just a few moments later, the prince opened the door, letting Tenna walk in.
There was a delightful smell of cake and berries inside the castle.
“What a nice smell!” The CRT exclaimed, a flower blooming on the tip of his nose.
“O-oh yeah!” Ralsei nodded.“Must be the cake I just finished baking… would you like a piece, Mr. Tenna?”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass… let's just get straight to the point.”
He didn't want to waste any time, especially if that meant seeing his mailman sooner!
“The one I'm looking for is my old show co-host…” he began. Those words weighed a little to say out loud.
“His name was Spamton. One day he left and he never came back. I've been hoping for him to come back for… way too many years. But so far I had no luck.”
His body shrinked, and his antennas drooped down his screen. Even after all those years, it stinged just the same.
“Spamton…?“ The prince blinked, seeming a little confused.
Tenna nodded, he had a hopeful smile on his face.
“Well… he's not exactly in town, but I do know him! Perhaps, you could meet tomorrow?”
Tenna began to jump happily at those words. He grabbed Ralsei, and pulled him into a tight hug.
“Yes! Yes! I'll never thank you enough times!”
He dropped the smaller darkner, to then skip towards the exit. Although Ralsei was a little perplexed, he was happy for him.
—————————————————
The next day, Tenna got ready for the grand meeting. He wore his best clothes and his cleanest shoes.
This time, he didn't even knock on the castle's door, he just pushed it open.
Ralsei had mentioned they would have waited for him on the second floor, so that's where he went. He ran through the stairways at full speed, he didn't want to lose a single second.
“Hello, Mr. Tenna!”
Susie and Ralsei both spoke at the same time, although Ralsei's tone was rather preoccupied.
“Greetings, kids!“ he chirped, walking closer to them. He looked around, there was no sight of his mailman.
“Where is he?” The CRT seemed rather impatient, although he tried to hide his irritation the best he could.
Ralsei looked at Kris, then behind him.
“Mr. Spamton, are you… coming to greet him?” The prince gently gestured for him to show himself.
Tenna had a bright smile on his face. He was sure Spamton would have looked just as bright and beautiful as he used to be!
…
But that wasn't the case.
A small, malnourished figure now standed between Ralsei and susie. It looked just like that rat he sprayed with foam!
The CRT cleared his throat.
“Uhm- hello…”
The creature let out a scoff.
“NICE [...don't get it on your shoes!], [cathode]...”
Tenna's antennas straightened as he heard that line. It was the end of a line they always repeated together.
But-
No.
That couldn't be Spamton.
But that voice, and that line!
He was desperate.
“Spamton?” His voice was perplexed, he leaned closer, hoping to see a glimpse of his old partner.
“[In the flesh!]… TOOK YOU [long] ENOUGH."
The creature or, well, the mailman, took a step back every time Tenna walked closer.
The CRT looked at his whole body. It was shaking, small and dirty. His hair wasn't in place either, and there was no sight of feathers.
“You look… different.”
“WELL [surprise your family!] I’VE [live and let live] IN THE [Wednesday trash] FOR TEN YEARS [&] YOU FORGOT [about:] ME.”
Ralsei and the other two heroes got startled as Spamton began to yell, which made Susie let out a distressed chuckle. “We’ll uh… we’ll give you two some space, alright? Come on, let’s go.” She pushed the rest of the gang towards the exit of the castle, occasionally looking back at Spamton and Tenna.
The CRT frowned, he didn’t want to be left alone with… HIM!
“Trash…?” He kneeled down, to take a better look at Spamton.
“A-and what’s with your body? Your face, your… jaw.” Tenna seemed desperate. Desperate to find a glimpse of his Spamton.
“IT'S A [long story], YOU [wouldn't you like to know weather boy?]...”
The mailman scoffed. He fixed his suit and then looked back at Tenna.
“THIS IS A [wasteland] OF TIME! [let me] LEAVE NOW, WILL YOU [Trash heap]?! “
Tenna urged to grab him by his suit, making it unable for him to leave.
“Wait- please." Tenna’s grip tightened. The puppet’s eye darted from one point to another, trying to find a way to get out. Tenna couldn’t understand why Spamton was panicking. In his mind, it was an unjustifiable action, he meant no harm…
“Er- how about we go to a bar and talk about this whole situation?”
Spamton just seemed to be overwhelmed. He attempted a second time to get out of Tenna’s grasp, failing.
“LET ME [go! go! go!] FIRST” he complained, remaining limp in Tenna’s hands.
“Ah, right… sorry.” The CRT placed him down on the ground, and Spamton proceeded to make his way out of the castle. Tenna followed, and tried to take a better look at Spamton. His feathered tail was still there, at least he still had that. Although, it looked dirty, muddy, with some pieces of trash tangled in it. He opened his mouth to speak, but then he realized that Spamton would have probably disliked any questions about his body.
The air outside the castle was cold and Tenna pulled his jacket tight around him. Spamton, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind the freezing temperatures.
Both of them didn't say a word, they just walked in silence until they reached the bar.
They sat down at a table, Spamton struggled to climb the chair, but he refused to get any help from Tenna.
“I’ll go order the drinks… what can I get you?” Tenna spoke to him as if they were good friends. But to Spamton, the CRT was just a stranger now.
“You [pick from our latest selection]…“ Spamton murmured without paying much attention. He was too busy looking around, making sure no familiar faces had noticed him. Then he looked back at Tenna…he looked just the same as ten years ago, minus the fixed antenna. The same jacket, the same clean shoes , same bright, beautiful screen.
As soon as the CRT returned to their table, he quickly moved his gaze elsewhere.
With a smile on his face, Tenna placed a big, slim glass in front of Spamton.
“WHAT IS [this]?” The mailman looked at the liquid inside with a puzzled expression.
“Don’t you remember? It’s battery acid! It’s… it used to be your favorite”
Spamton's perplexity seemed to downheart Tenna. After letting out a deep sigh, he took a sip of his own drink.
Spamton, on the other hand, had already emptied his own glass. Part of the drink, though, had fallen on his jacket.
Tenna realized that with that puppet-like jaw, it was probably hard to swallow a drink without spilling it.
“Do you need a straw?” Tenna asked. But to Spamton's ears, his question was a mockery, rather than a thoughtful question.
“I'M [good]- JUST [get going!] ME ANOTHER [refreshing drink]...”