Chapter Text
“Oh, you children are full of energy, aren’t you?” Jaiden heard a voice say from far away. She grumbled at the same time someone giggled.
She tried to open her eyes yet they stayed closed as if glued shut. When she couldn’t open her eyes she tried to move her arm, but both of them stayed in place.
Before she could start panicking a tiny hand slapped one of her cheeks, jolting her awake.
“Oh no, close your eyes again please.” The far-away voice told Jaiden.
The avian furrowed her eyebrows as she continued to see nothing but darkness, “My eyes are still closed though?”
The voice giggled, as did some other tinier, faraway voices.
“No, they are very much open. I need you to close them so I can put a potion on them.” The voice told her. Jaiden gave a curt nod before closing her eyes. At least she hoped she did.
“Thank you, this will just take a moment.” The voice said just as something liquidy touched her eyelids. In the background, she could hear the flapping of wings before whatever was flying landed on solid ground with a poof and started walking closer to her.
“You can open your eyes now Jaiden,” The voice told her.
As she did, opening them slowly so as to not blind herself to the change in light levels, she caught the sight of something red. Once her eyes were fully opened the first thing she saw were the faces of Leo, Juana, Tallulah, and Tilin.
Well, more like their shells, but still, it was them and she was so, so, happy to see them.
“You’re okay!” Jaiden cried out as she sat up and grabbed all four girls into her arms.
“Of course, you’re all okay,” The voice said. It was then that Jaiden remembered they weren’t alone. She lifted her head and came face to face with a beautiful blond woman of indescribable size, who was smiling softly as she watched Jaiden and the eggs hug each other. “I made sure no harm came to all of you.”
“Uh… oh, you’re uh, you’re very big,” Jaiden said, at a loss for words. The giant woman giggled as all four girls in Jaiden’s hold sighed in disappointment.
“No! I mean, thank you.” Jaiden corrected herself, unwinding her arms from the eggs so she could stand up. It was then that she realized that her wings were still materialized, but she ignored it for the moment.
“My name is Jaiden, and this is Leonarda, Juanaflippa, Tallulah, and Tilin. We’re from Quesadilla Island on the QSMP.” Jaiden introduced themselves to the woman.
“Hello, Jaiden, Leonarda, Juanaflippa, Tallulah, and Tilin. My name is Lady Agnes, but you can just call me Agnes. I’m a developer and this is my office.” Agnes introduced herself, waving a hand in the air to showcase the area.
Jaiden allowed herself to focus on the area they were in finally and came to notice that they were most definitely not in the end. It looked like it in some sense, the area was black and purple, dotted with stars, but that was when all of the similarities ended. The lighting also seemed to have an edge of pink and red in certain spots, and there were larger stars in certain spots, most likely making out constellations, but something Jaiden just couldn’t ignore was the multiple black rectangles of varying sizes, a giant mug of something warm and sweet smelling, and right beside it was an equally large plate of what looked like cookies.
“Sorry for the mess,” Agnes apologized, one hand touching the floating dishes and making them disappear with a flash of purple light as the other waved in front of the scattered black rectangles to have them gather in one spot.
“How did we get here?” Jaiden asked as she continued to look at Agnes. She had blond hair the color of gold, and eyes the color of the deep ocean blue that looked at her with a sense of fondness. Yet the thing that caught her attention was the outfit she was wearing, a simple blazer and pencil skirt, yet the material it was made of seemed to shimmer and shine in a way that didn’t make sense. There was no strong light source in the area to cause certain parts of her outfit to shine, yet they did.
“I was working on coding something when I felt this ripple and I of course had to check it out,” Agnes said, causing Jaiden to focus back on the conversation. “Imagine my surprise when I scoured as much code as possible to find you and your little companions falling into a chunk of corrupted code that would have shredded you to pieces!”
Jaiden gasped, eyes full of shock as she struggled to find her words.
Below her she felt a tiny hand grab onto a single finger on her hand, causing Jaiden to look down at Tallulah who looked to be on the edge of crying.
Was Cucurucho trying to kill us?
Jaiden took a deep sigh, squatting down to hug Tallulah before telling her, “I don’t know Tallulah, I have no idea why we got thrown into that portal.”
Next to Tallulah, Leonarda wrote something out on a pad of paper before showing it to the older woman.
If we go home will we be in trouble?
“Why do you think we’d be in trouble?” Jaiden asked with a tilt of her head. Leonarda wrote something more before showing her.
Because going through a portal is illegal :’(
Jaiden said nothing for a beat before looking at Leonarda, Tilin, and Juanaflippa, who all had their heads down in shame to stare at the ground.
“I’ll be honest,” Jaiden started, shooting a glance at Agnes who was watching the scene with a sad look in her eyes. “I don’t think we will get in trouble because we weren’t the ones who activated the portal. Not to mention that Leo got pushed in and so did I. And because I was in front of you three when I got pushed I ended up taking you all with me.”
Taking a deep breath, eyes darting away from the eggs and towards Agnes who was now typing away on her computer (so that’s what the black rectangles were) before she continued, “And even if we did get in trouble for that, I’ll make sure none of you get punished for it. Your dads and I will all make sure that none of you get in trouble, okay?”
All the girls in front of Jaiden nodded their heads in understanding, but there was an air of sadness looming over all of them.
From above them, Agnes cleared her throat, making all of them look up at her.
“If you don’t mind, I have something I need to talk with Jaiden about,” Agnes said, pushing a button causing the platform all five of them were standing on to lift them to the same level as Agnes’s desk. “Would it be alright with you girls if I could talk to her alone?”
Jaiden watched as all four of them looked at one another, seeming to have a telepathic conversation before Tallulah whined and hugged Jaiden tight around her legs. In response, Leo, Tilin, and Juanaflippa took out their notebooks they used to write to tell Jaiden something as the woman hugged the youngest egg back.
We aren't leaving you alone!
How do we know if we can trust her?
My papa said to never trust a pretty face
Tilin, Leonarda, and Juanaflippa’s notes read respectively. Jaiden huffed out a laugh before placing her hands on Tallulah’s shoulders so she could steer her away in front of her legs and to be standing in front of the other three eggs.
“It’ll only be for a few seconds and after that, we'll see each other again, okay?” Jaiden said. All four eggs gave her a curt nod before she looked towards Agnes who pushed another button that opened a small door. The area must have been well-lit because out of it poured a soft white light.
When all the eggs hesitated to go through the door by themselves Jaiden walked behind them, Leo and Juana holding hands in front of her while she held the hands of Tilin and Tallulah.
“I’ll be right behind you guys. Just wait a few minutes for me, okay?” Jaiden promised. Leonarda nodded her head, letting go of Juanaflippa’s hand and stepping through the door, the white light enveloping the girl until Jaiden couldn’t see her.
“Woah,” Jaiden whispered in awe. She looked towards Juanaflippa, Tilin, and Tallulah, giving them what she hoped was a comforting smile. In a second she was being dogpiled by Juana and Tilin and in the next the two girls were holding hands and walking through the door.
“Bye, girls! See you in a bit.” Jaiden called out. From beside her, she heard Tallulah whine before hugging her around the neck and burying herself in the older woman’s hair. Jaiden hugged her back, resting her cheek on the top of Tallulah’s shell.
“I know it’s scary,” Jaiden started, getting up and swaying the young egg. “But your sisters are going to be right there with you. Just wait for me, okay?”
Tallulah sniffled before sneaking a hand underneath her beanie and pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil. Jaiden couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, being reminded of how Bobby hid art supplies in his overalls.
Pinkie promise? Tallulah wrote out. Jaiden shifted the girl so she was holding her in one arm before presenting her pinkie. Tallulah instantly wrapped her pinkie, shaking their hands up and down twice before bringing the pads of their thumbs together.
“Do you think you’re ready to go now?” Jaiden asked the egg, who nodded her head. Jaiden smiled as she placed Tallulah down, grabbing one of her hands as they walked towards the door. As they stood there Jaiden tried to think of what to say besides a simple goodbye when Tallulah let go of their hands to write something again.
See you in a little Tia Jaiden <3
“Yeah, I’ll see you in a little,” Jaiden said as Tallulah walked through the door. As soon as she was fully inside the door was shut, not even an outline of where it once was.
Jaiden took a deep breath before screaming deep from her chest.
“Sorry,” Jaiden said to Agnes, combing her hands through her hair. “It’s just- it’s been a very long day and if anything had happened to those girls I would have killed everything and then myself.”
From above Agnes tamped down an amused smile before pressing a button to raise the platform Jaiden was standing on so they were on a similar level.
“I have to be honest and tell you that what I said earlier was not the whole truth.” Agnes started.
“Yeah,” Jaiden said with a sigh, “I figured.”
“Yes, I couldn’t say what truly happened in front of the children. I didn’t want to scare them,” Agnes said before turning the monitor in front of her so Jaiden could see what the woman was doing. “It took me a while to get this video, whoever is in charge of the security recording didn’t want anyone to find it.”
Jaiden watched the monitor as Agnes pressed play. On-screen was Jaiden and the eggs plus Cucurucho a few feet away from them.
“This was before we got pushed into the end portal,” Jaiden commented.
“Yes, but the interesting thing is what happened when your backs were turned around,” Agnes said. Just as she said that Jaiden watched as a person clad in green and black just popped out of nowhere and hit Juanaflippa. Jaiden felt her chest tighten with anxiety even after knowing how this all ended.
“Who is that?” Jaiden asked as she watched the person step away for a few seconds before rearing back and hitting Leonarda next and then Jaiden.
“I’m not sure, but I have an idea,” Agnes said as she paused the video. “It could most likely be a glitch that has gained sentience and is trying to corrupt the whole world,” Agnes said. Jaiden paled as Agnes went to play the rest of the video.
As the video continued it cut to the end dimension, but what caught Jaiden’s eye was the castle-like building made of obsidian that floated just above the spawning platform of the End.
“I think this, Osito Bimbo made this castle for you and the eggs as a form of protection against the glitch, but it sadly didn’t do what they wanted it to,” Agnes said as she and Jaiden watched the screen turn to static for a second before it went back to normal. The glitch was back on screen and it was making a beeline toward the castle Jaiden and the eggs were presumably in. It started to break apart the blocks, seemingly not wanting to just teleport to them when Osito Bimbo appeared and attacked the glitch. They traded blows for just a second before the screen was swallowed by static one more.
“So,” Jaiden said as she took in the video, feeling utterly confused as to what she just watched. “Osito Bimbo was trying to protect us?”
“From what the video shows us, yes,” Agnes said, turning her monitor back towards herself. “I hope you understand when I say I’m afraid to send you and those eggs back to that server.”
Jaiden pursed her lips but nodded in understanding.
“I understand,” Jaiden started before taking a deep breath, “But I have a son I need to take care of. Each of those eggs I’m taking care of has people who are probably very, very worried for them. We need to go back.”
Agnes folded her hands atop each other, turning away from her computer with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I sent those girls to a different server already.” Agnes said. Jaiden felt herself go numb before a burning rage consumed her.
“YOU WHAT? I trusted you! I made Leonarda, Juanaflippa, Tilin, and Tallulah trust you!” Jaiden screamed. She felt her wings puff out in her anger before they flapped once and lifted her off the ground and into the air. The avian screamed, not sure what to do as she’s never flown before when Agnes saved her by catching her as she fell.
“What the fuck was that?” Jaiden asked as Agnes placed her on her desk.
“I fixed a bit of your code, as well as the girls in your care,” Agnes said before showing Jaiden her monitor again. On it was diagnostics of all five QSMP members that Agnes had met. Most of the words were too complex for Jaiden to understand, the only thing she was the red lines each profile had.
“I can see your confusion,” Agnes said before Jaiden could say anything. The blonde lady tapped a part of her screen, causing it to pop out of the big monitor and turn into something smaller.
“These red parts on your body are the parts that make you fly, but the admins or someone else made it so you can’t,” Agnes explained.
“So… so my wings are clipped?” Jaiden asked, both of her wings inadvertently moving to cover herself.
“You were, but once you were in my care I removed the code so you could fly again,” Agnes explained with a smile before going to her main monitor and tapping each of the egg's profiles.
“Now, when it comes to the eggs things became trickier,” Agnes said. Jaiden saw how each four of them had the same red lines. “The code I saw told me that they are all siblings and they were all given the same limitations.”
“When it comes to dragon eggs they have this wonderful self-preservation skill that makes them move from one spot to another in the flash of an eye if one isn’t careful. But a much less known skill that they have, once they get old enough, is their ability to shapeshift!” Agnes said with utter joy on her face. Jaiden was astonished to learn such a thing.
“Yes, I know, just wonderful, isn’t it? And from what I can tell these eggs are old enough to be able to shapeshift, but someone locked their ability to do so.”
“Can’t you just fix it like you did with me?” Jaiden asked.
“I can, yes, but the problem I am faced with is the way their code is connected to one another. If I make it so one egg can shapeshift then all the other eggs will gain the ability again.” Agnes explained. “If that happens then it’ll alert the admins of that server that someone is tampering with their code and they may… they may do something extreme in the process of protecting themselves and the inhabitants on the server.”
Jaiden looked perplexed before asking, “What does that mean?”
“The admins might take the eggs away and try to fix their code,” Agnes said with an air of sadness. Jaiden wanted to know, but she was afraid of what she would be told.
“Can we get back to you not wanting to send me back to the QSMP?” Jaiden asked instead.
“I can send you to a different server, one that will welcome you and the eggs with open arms while I try and see if I can talk to these admins about fixing this glitch?” Agnes asked. Jaiden appreciated how Agnes made it seem like an option for her to choose, but she knew that it wasn’t true.
“Only if I can have a way to make sure my son Bobby is okay on the island,” Jaiden said. Agnes smiled before turning around and grabbing something from the wall. Jaiden watched with astonishment as Agnes peeled away some stars before turning back around to Jaiden.
“Extend your arm please,” Agnes said. Jaiden did as told and watched as Agnes made a circle in the air with the string of stars. The avian watched as the circle shrunk until it was glowing on her wrist for a second before dimming. The stars shined the same purple as her outfit.
“You like birds, yes?” Agnes asked. Jaiden tore her eyes away from the bracelet and looked back at Agnes.
“Uh, yeah?”
“This is the constellation Apus, it represents the bird of paradise,” Agnes said with a knowing smile. “Birds of paradise represent many things, like joy, anticipation, thoughtfulness, and faithfulness. But I thought it’s symbolization of freedom made more sense in this context.”
“You’ll be able to watch over your family with this bracelet as long as there is a bird nearby. Just make sure your palm is facing up and tap on the biggest star. A screen will pop up and show you either Bobby or Roier.” Agnes said.
“I never told you about Roier,” Jaiden said, bringing her hands towards her chest as if shielding herself.
Agnes raised her hands in surrender, a look of genuine shock. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just saw the list of players on the QSMP as I was trying to find your code to see what was wrong. I saw that you’re connected to another player and I assumed they were your partner in raising the egg you named Bobby. I saw similar things when looking at the eggs.”
Jaiden squinted her eyes but didn’t know what to say.
“What server do you want to send us to?” Jaiden asked. Agnes placed her hands down, typing away on her keyboard before beckoning Jaiden to get closer to her.
“I’ll be sending you all to Hermitcraft. They are very nice people, just tell them that Agnes sent you and they should understand.” Agnes said, showing Jaiden screenshots of a world filled to the brim with builds of varying sizes.
“Okay. As long as no one tries to kill or hurt any of the eggs, then…” Jaiden said, tapering off.
Agnes nodded her head before tapping away on her keyboard. The platform Jaiden was on started to move away and down, the sound of gears churning and pistons moving rung through the air. Jaiden watched as a new door opened just as the platform stopped moving. The door glowed a swirling purple and radiated a comforting warmth.
“That portal will take you straight to the current Hermitcraft server,” Agnes told her. Jaiden touched the purple film-like portal, watching as it rippled with her touch.
“Don’t worry, the girls are already there. Although I do ask that you go through it now instead of later, you don’t want to keep all of them waiting, do you?”
Jaiden shook her head, pulling her hand away from the portal before taking a deep breath and stepping through the portal.
“Enjoy your time there, I’ll try and get you back to the QSMP as soon as I can.”