Work Text:
They finally did it. They were all standing together and united in the heart of the federation, bloodied and victorious. They won.
***
A few weeks earlier.
Cellbit had joined the federation. At least that's what it looked like to everyone. And he was doing a damn good job at convincing everyone and slowly driving away all his friends. Richarlysons custody case was the last straw for most of them. And of course Forever had no chance at winning with the federation being the judge and on Cellbits side. There was a lot of shouting, a lot of screaming and a lot of tears involved in this court case. Forever was devastated. Him and the other fathers were forbidden to even get close to Richarlyson. And with the power the federation held and the risk of them punishing their beloved son for violating this, no one dared to go against it. But at least the federation would protect Richarlyson now, right?
***
A few days later, Richarlyson died.
It wasn’t the binary monster, it wasn’t the federation, it wasn’t anything crazy at all. It was just unfortunate circumstances. Cellbit was a single father now. And that wasn’t easy. Especially with the federation demanding his work as well. And he wasn’t just a single parent like others on the island who helped each other out. Cellbit was truly alone. He had successfully driven away everyone on the server.
So Richarlyson and him were alone on an adventure far out when they got overrun and cornered by mobs. There was nothing Cellbit could do when he went down and had to watch his son struggle. There was nothing anyone could do when they saw first Cellbit and then Richarlyson go down. They were too far away.
And then they died.
It was a dark day for everyone. Forevers scream of pain could be heard for miles across the server.
***
This couldn’t be the end. Cellbit didn’t team up with the federation for nothing, right? So he went to Cucurucho with all his hope. All fear and sadness and desperation pushed down far. There had to be a way to get his son back.
But Cucuruchos answer was “No”.
The island was perfect and there was no reason for them to change the outcome of what had happened that day. Cellbit had not expected this. He had worked for the federation to keep Richarlyson safe after all. How could they do this to him? This was not how this was supposed to happen. Richarlyson was supposed to be safe.
So all those emotions he had pushed down came back up alongside with some burning anger.
And that's when he learned about everything.
The eggs, the federation, the island. It will probably always be a mystery to why Cucurucho decided to tell him at that moment. Was it because they truly trusted Cellbit? Or maybe was it because they thought no one would believe the traitor anyways?
But that day Cellbit learned the purpose of it all. It was all just a game, an experiment. This island was never meant to be a vacation for the islanders. The federation never cared about anything but their experiment. And yes there had been people before them.
People who had failed.
But they had nothing to do with the binary monster. The binary monster was never a different faction. It was created by the federation to have a way of directly interfering. To make sure everything was going as planned.
So why did it kill Cellbit after he joined them? Just to make sure he knew the federation would save and protect him. When the eggs lived too long and people started to get too comfortable and stopped worrying it made sure they were reminded of how fragile they were. How little power they had.
That they were not in control.
And the eggs. Of course they were part of the experiment. There was never an angry mother dragon. Yes, they were dragon eggs, but their parents had been dead for hundreds of years. And no, they didn’t know anything. It would have ruined the experiment.
But they were also not “dead”. Same as the other islanders, they would come back after they died. Why wouldn’t they? The federation just took them back. Back in their rooms in the federation. That’s how they had the power to decide who would come back or who could have a last moment with their parents. How else would the federation have power over something as final as true death?
The more Cellbit learned the more his anger grew. But also hope. Hope to see his son again. Richarlyson and the other eggs were still alive. And with that the determination grew as well.
The determination to destroy the federation once and for all.
***
The next day he showed up on Forever's door step. Which in hindsight might not have been the smartest idea because Forever immediately swung his sword at Cellbit’s head and was determined to end him for everything he had done.
Only when - between all of Forever's cusses - Cellbit got out the words “He is still alive!” Forever stopped dead in his tracks.
“What do you mean he is still alive?”
“Richarlyson is still alive. The federation told me everything. They have him and all the other eggs. I’m so sorry, forever, you were right but I really thought they would protect him. And now I need your help to destroy them and get our son back.”
Cellbit explained everything to Forever. And they made up. They were back to having a common enemy. And they had to save their son.
***
Over the next weeks they started planning in secret and recruiting and filling people in. Everyone was on board. It took some time but together they created the perfect plan. It was risky but the eggs and their freedom were worth the risk. They geared up and prepared for a war.
When the day came, all the eggs that hadn’t “died” were safely in their secure homes and everyone was ready. That day they would take down the federation. And the plan worked. They got in, they fought the Cucuruchos while getting deeper into the center of control of the federation. With cover from Forever it was Cellbit who put his sword through the central control system which led to all the Cucuruchos turning off and all doors opening.
They finally did it. They were all standing together and united in the heart of the federation, bloodied and victorious. They won.
There was little time before Quackity, Charlie, Mariana, Jaiden and Roier made their way to the rooms of the eggs and could finally hold their kids in their arms again. There were tears and laughter in all directions. And an overly joyous Richarlyson running to his dads who were still trying to grasp the fact that it was finally over. The family was back together.
They were finally free.
***
Now that the island was just that, an island and not a prison, no one really had the urge to leave their little family. There was no danger from the federation or the binary monster. The monsters of the night didn’t disappear completely but they seemed to be fewer and weaker. And there was the knowledge that the eggs would be back, even if they got hurt.
So no one really wanted to leave the big family they all had become.
And the island actually became the paradise it was promised to be, with eggs and parents enjoying their lives together. Of course Charlie and Mariana still argued and Forever and Missa still fought about Philza and a bunch of drama happened but that's just the way it was. It was nice. Foolish and Vegetta even got married!
They were free and they were happy.
***
(Somewhere far away from the island a dark monitor reflects a smile right before it turns back on :] )