Word buzzed through the colony like pheromone wildfire:
The Grand Ball was coming.
Not just any ball—this was a once-in-a-lifecycle event, hosted by Prince Pollen, the golden-winged carpenter bee of the Upper Garden Court.
He sought a partner—someone with elegance, wit… and a strong sense of direction for navigating flower fields.
Every insect who was anyone would be there. Beetles polished their shells. Fireflies practiced light routines. Even the mosquitos rehearsed synchronized humming.
Back in the underground chambers, Formidula fumed.
“The prince will never notice a soot-covered speck like her,” she hissed, pointing her antenna at Cinder-ant. “You’ll stay here. You have tunnels to scrub!”
Her stepsisters preened their antennae and fussed over tiny armor plates. Cinder-ant could only sigh and continue scraping old fungus from the walls.
Yet, as she worked, a mysterious rustle echoed in the shadows behind her. A shimmer. A flutter.
And then, from the fungal mist emerged a being of bioluminescent grace…
🧚♀️ Her Spore-mother.
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