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It was meant to be a peaceful negotiation, at least an attempt at it.
But Parrot should have known, Saparata hadn’t shown any signs of stopping, not before and certainly not now.
He had long noticed the other pulling out his sword, readjusting his inventory, but then Parrot saw it, the familiar purple looming above. He saw the way, the footing readjusted, as the mace materialised, he saw it all.
It was an ambush.
Theo and Flame were being attacked from all sides, Lomedy and Reina, grouping together, facing off the incoming barrage of soldiers, and Parrot? Both Saparata and Wemmbu were onto him, yet he kept dodging. A side step here, and a duck there. By whatever means he had to survive.
Parrot had seen the solemn look on his brother’s face, he didn’t want to do this. And suddenly he regrets pushing Wemmbu away that day, the day he had asked for help. He took another step back, his last totem popped.
An unsettling feeling took place in his stomach.
There are screams, loud and frantic, but Parrot hears only ringing and buzz, a sharp blow against his head.
He shook, trembled.
Parrot heard his own skull crack at the impact, and how his body landed right after, a terrifying melody. There was immense immediate pain, his head pounding and throbbing, blood slowly pooling around his body, yet he forces himself to look up anyway.
Through his fading vision, he watches as Saparata laughs maniacally, and as Wemmbu trembles, the clear weight of what he had done landing on him, Parrot saw it, Parrot always sees.
He feels it, how his body goes numb and limp, unable to lift a single finger, how the temperature suddenly drops, while head begins to lol to the side. Parrot’s vision is no longer clear, but a blur, yet he catches a faint outline of a familiar black, red and yellow. He knows it’s Flame, he would recognise his brother anywhere.
Huh, so Flame did care?
He wanted to observe more, hang on even a little longer, but Parrot’s head had begun to spin, eyes unable to stay open any more. He hears faint arguing, or maybe it's loud? He doesn’t know, and can’t find it in himself to care.
It was his time to go.
’I’m sorry, everyone’, he thinks, ‘I wish I could’ve been a better king to you all’
The world fades to black, and suddenly, it’s all gone.
[Parrotx2 was smashed by Wemmbu using Gambit]
[Parrotx2 has left the game]
———————————————————————————————
It’s dark.
That’s the first thing he notices, it’s dark, yet Parrot can see himself perfectly.
He’s in a void. All by himself. Again.
Parrot wants to sigh, even cry, he misses them already.
Theo, Reina, his brothers…Wifies..
He could go endlessly on about all of them, but still to this day, his greatest heartbreak had been his brothers. When he saw them, he saw perfection. They were brilliant and they were strong, yet each of them went through so much. Parrot couldn’t help but blame himself a little, he couldn’t protect them, and now? He would never get the chance to.
The bird hybrid looks around this pitch black void, seemingly nothing better to do. In the corner of his vision, something moved.
There was a figure approaching, yet he couldn’t find it in himself to care, not to run nor to hide. If it was the grim reaper, they could take his soul, there was nothing left for him.
It’s funny, he had thought about it many times, death, dying by his own hands. Parrot had often stared at the ground almost longingly as he stood atop the castle or when he flew high above the clouds. It could have been done, he could have been free so long ago, yet he stands here awaiting his doom.
But what approaches him is not his doom, but an old friend.
Parrot straightens in both surprise and excitement, yet takes an instinctive step back.
He had missed him dearly, but he.. Parrot couldn’t trust him.
“You shouldn’t be here “ his voice carried a sorrowful tone, “You were supposed to live.”
Wifies…
Wifies was here. In front of him, clear as day. The awful black coat with white trimmings that the director used to wear wasn’t there, but replaced by the yin and yang hoodie, the one his Wifies used to wear. The familiar purple head band tightly wound upon his head, his hair in its usual place. It had to be him.
After Wifies had died, well, the Director, Parrot had struggled to even grasp the concept of the two being the same, he couldn’t. Despite what had been revealed to him that awful day, despite everything, he had hoped and he had prayed, that they weren’t the same, that the Wifies that was his best friend wasn’t the director who had trapped him in the Paragon.
“Why..”
Wifies reached out, but Parrot took a step back. Even with all his hopes, Parrot wasn’t stupid, he would not risk himself on a chance.
”Don’t.”
”Please let me explain,” Parrot began walking away, the other following closely behind, “Hey, Hey- please Parrot, I am so so sorry, it wasn’t meant to happen. I was going to let you out-“
”Why didn’t you?!” He whips around, tears falling.
He was dead, and so was Wifies, he shouldn’t be crying, he shouldn’t be able to.
”I couldn’t.”
What.
Parrot froze, was he? Could he have been right?
Wifies’ eyes were frantic, but he calmed down ever so slightly when he saw Parrot stop.
”The director, he was a clone, I really did die falling into void.”
An audible gulp escaped the former has he continued, “Yes, I had clones set up, so in case I died, you- you’d be safe. Yes, somewhere deep inside I thought all those things, some crooked and cruel part of me wanted you as my best friend forever, safe where everything was under my control.”
There were tears on Wifies’ face as well, now, both of them crying like a bunch of idiots.
“That clone destroyed all the other copies, feeding into that desire..”
Parrot’s mind went blank.
Wifies had actually died. Some twisted part of him had felt relieved at the thought. At the thought that Wifies had died, rather than committing those horrible crimes.
Yet there was one thing, he still couldn’t figure it out, the director had been smart, a genius even but Parrot, in all his strategy, had found a way to escape, and survive. Surely the director had a plan B, something to have kept him alive. If what Wifies said was true, the director had planned to stick around for a very long time.
“Why-“
”-Why didn’t the director escape?”, Wifies smiled, self-deprecating and mournful, “I think you’re smart enough to figure that one out on your own, after all that clone was still me.
The spyglass.
On cue, the former pulled it out of his inventory.
It was there, it was in front of him, and it was real.
The bird hybrid wiped away at his face, wiping the tears away.
”The moment that clone died, it popped up here,” Wifies opens his arm for a hug, Parrot reciprocating almost immediately.
Through his choked sobs, the former apologises once again, “I am so sorry, Parrot, it was never meant to come to this. For all my planning to keep you safe, it hurt you even more.”
Parrot just hugged him tighter, “You should have told me.”
”I know.”
As they pulled apart, Wifies tugged at his arm, guiding him.
”Where-“
”Don’t worry about it, it’s something good. I promise.”
He was reluctant, but let the other drag him along anyway.
In following the former, Parrot tried to adjust to his surroundings, tried to see something that wasn’t just pitch black, but there was nothing there. Yet he finds himself following the other anyway, the former having been here presumably a lot longer that he had. His heart felt heavy, despite being in the presence of his best friend again, Parrot misses his family, his friends.
Parrot thinks woefully about the many times he had been selfish, both as king and as a friend. He thinks back to when Spoke had begged him for help, when Wemmbu had as well, and how he had turned them away without a second thought. He wished he could make up for it, if only had more time.
“We’re here”
He turned his gaze towards where Wifies pointed, but Parrot saw nothing, his expression turning into a confused one. “What am I supposed to be looking at, exactly?”
The other let out a snort at Parrot’s obliviousness, “You’re smart, aren’t you? Look closer.”
The hybrid squinted his eyes, attempting to narrow down his vision to whatever he was supposed to look at. And suddenly, there were sparks, faint clouds bursting to life, a scene playing out.
With a hint of smugness in his voice Wifies explained, “Time is way faster here, but from this area, we can watch what happens down there.”
Oh.
Had Wifies watched him die?
His silence was loud, yet the other seemed unfazed, “Yes, I watched you die. It was… not great. Whatever heart I have left in this form, broke at the sight. But you’re here, and I- I’m grateful that you’re at least with me in the afterlife.
Running his hand through his hair, Wifies let out a heavy sigh, “That’s beside the point now. I know you’re curious about what happened after you died-“
How did he?
”-so watch carefully.”
So Parrot turned his head towards the scene.
It was odd, seeing his own corpse lay there, still and helpless, but he couldn’t find any words in him to describe his own feelings.
Parrot watches the terror on Theo’s face, and the pure rage on Flame’s. He sees his hot-headed brother teleport in front of his corpse, sword pointed at the demon hybrid.
His voice is shaky, but clear, “How could you?”
Wemmbu’s hands trembled, gripping at his mace, as if it was the only security he had in himself, “I HAD NO CHOICE.”
”HE WAS OUR BROTHER”
Parrot watches as Theo pulls his shades off, gripping Flame’s shoulder as he silently shakes his head. Reina’s head is down as well, but he can see the tears streaming down. It must have been especially hard on her, she lost not only one but two friends on the server.
Flame reluctantly puts his sword away, intending to walk away, but Saparata’s maniacal cuts through.
”HAHAHA, FINALLY He’s DEAD. Oh man,” the white man flicks tears from his eyes, “I didn’t think it’d be that easy to turn you all against him-“
Wemmbu’s gaze turns sharp, almost terrifying. Parrot knows that look all too well, he’s seen it ever since they were young. Every time he had gotten hurt, or when Egg went missing, Wemmbu’s gaze was of pure agonising rage, eyes almost red.
”What.”
Saparata froze, a faint tremble in his expression for a mere moment under the demon hybrid’s gaze, He saw it. Even when the tremble vanished, turning into a wicked smirk, he saw the twitch in the man’s shoulder. Parrot smiled to himself, an almost happy flutter in his chest knowing that Wemmbu still cared.
In his impulsivity, the demon hybrid began to raise his mace towards the other, the intent crystal clear.
Parrot noticed it quickly, the arrow flying in, from the corner of his eye, piercing through Saparata’s skull. Of course it didn’t kill the latter, who had a totem in his hand, but it provided time.
Many ender pearls landed on the balcony, bursting one after the other.
It was a reunion between four brothers, amusingly enough, Parrot thought to himself, except one of them [Him] was dead.
Spoke and the B.A.T team had arrived, fully armored and resourced, plus one more. He didn’t recognise him, the purple almost oddly familiar. While Parrot may not have recognised him, it was clear Saparata did.
”Flux-“
”I go away FOR A FEW MONTHS. And this is the shit you do-“
”-You don’t understand, Parrot-“
”-I do not care what that bird did, you do not get to kill THOUSANDS of people because things don’t go your way. You killed not only one of the best-“
“-He wasn’t-“
”-people on this server, because of your greed, you killed-“
”-technically-“
”-their family. Oh-ho, by the time, I am done with you.” The man with purple eyes yanked Saparata by the ear, the same Saparata who was patting aggressively at the other’s arm, a pained expression on his face.
”Flux, darling, please. Fluixon, we can talk about- ow, ow ow- we can talk about this- OW.”
A snort leaves both him and Wifies, as they watch the white man get dragged away.
It felt like a sour ending, for the man who was directly responsible for his death, but Parrot watched carefully, a familiar sick feeling in his stomach.
Spoke was still there, having done nothing, yet. He knew Spoke, knew that he wouldn’t let anyone go, knew that there would be a confrontation.
After all, his brother always brought chaos wherever he went.
And he was right.
Spoke raised his sword towards Wemmbu, as did the members of BAT.
”You killed Parrot.”
”Spoke, I didn’t have a choice. They took Egg.”
But the former couldn’t, didn’t hear the latter, yelling out in a choked sob, “You killed my brother.”
”He was my brother too-“
”YOU LOST THAT RIGHT. You-“
Spoke took a step back, sword dropping as his hand wiped at his own face, “You don’t get to call him that, you killed him. You lost the right-“
”Spoke-“
”NO, Flame, no, he doesn’t get too-“
As the argument continued, Parrot saw Reina walk forward, resolve tight in her shoulders.
“THAT IS ENOUGH.”
All eyes turn to her, as she continued, “There’s no point in arguing-“
The scene changed suddenly, cloudy mist taking over momentarily.
”What-“
”Don’t worry about it, it’s just showing you the important parts. While we were watching, I’m assuming, by now a few years would have passed-“
”Bro.”
”Yeah, I know,” Wifies rolled his eyes, “keep watching.”
As the cloudy mist faded away, Parrot was greeted by the sight of a casket, a familiar feather engraved upon its wood.
His funeral.
There were many there, he recognised a lot of the faces. Leo, Bramzy, Clown, Zam, Jumper…
His throat went dry, watching Theo walk up the small stage, mic in hand, shaved neatly tucked away in his pocket.
”Today, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of King Parrot. In the final battle against Cindercrest, Parrot was killed while attempting to negotiate with the opposition’s leader, Saparata,” Theo wiped at his eyes, trying to stop the tears.
”Parrot, “ he sniffled, “was many things, a leader, a brother and my best friend. He may not have been the greatest at moments, some decisions being more selfish than not. But for every bad decision he made, he made a hundred good ones. It is without a doubt, many of us owe our lives to Parrot.”
Parrot tears up slightly, not just at Theo’s words, but at the several nods of acknowledgement, because it meant maybe he wasn’t such a terrible king after all.
”Parrot, if you are hearing this, hearing us. Know that you were the best of us all, and you could have done so much more than we have, if only you had more time. We’ve opened up spawn permanently, and solved the food crisis. So for the rest of our lives we will tell your story, of being the best of kings.”
Theo raised a glass of what looked like champagne.
“TO KING PARROT, may he rest in the peace he long deserved.”
The crowd echoed back, “TO KING PARROT.”
Tears were thick and heavy down his face, lips trembling.
They.. he didn’t…
He was a good king. He actually did something right.
Wifies put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “Keep watching this particular scene isn’t done yet.”
Spoke stood right in front of the casket, hand splayed out onto the wood, soft sobs leaving his throat. It was clear his brother wanted to say something, but no actual words left him. Flame joined him soon enough, the man walking in with a serious expression, ignoring Lomedy’s concerned gaze and his presence, while he approached. He gripped Spoke’s shoulder, head down as he bit his lip to stop himself from crying.
”I’m sorry, Parrot, I wasn’t fast enough.”
He wants to comfort them, give them a hug, but Parrot is smart, he knows he can’t reach them, so he continues to watch.
He spots Wemmbu with Egg in the corner, the demon hybrid murmuring slow and whispered ‘sorry’s’, but they are swept away by the wind, unable to be heard by anyone.
The cloudy mist returns, indicating the end of that moment.
It shifts to a gravestone to sight, the tomb engraved with his name.
’Here lies King Parrot,
a brother and a friend.
He was the best of us’
Parrot watches several people approach, first Theo and Reina, then his brothers, each alone in their own right. He watches as all of them break down in their own ways at his grave, sorrow heavy in their lungs, guilt burdening their shoulders. It isn’t easy for him to watch, as he imagines it wasn’t easy for them to watch him die, and to live in a guilt that shouldn’t be there to begin with.
Theo cries at his grave, genuine ugly sobs, as he heaves. Reina yells at him.
“You weren’t supposed to die before me, you promised.”
Spoke gives him a long speech, about how he had been upset at Parrot’s neglect of his problems, but he missed him more than anything anyway. He recounts their days of young, when Parrot used to cook for all of his brothers.
Parrot reaches out to him, his fingers brushing past Spoke’s head. He missed him too, he wants to say to his youngest brother, but all he can do is watch Spoke walk away rubbing his face with his sleeve.
Flame had come soon after, apologising endlessly for being weak and slow, for not being there enough when Parrot actually needed him. Flame apologies through heaves about their drift, and how he would give anything just to hear Parrot’s annoying sass again.
Parrot lets out an offended squawk through his own damp face, as Wifies laughs at him without hesitation.
Finally, Wemmbu comes, laying down Gambit, his mace at Parrot’s grave. The poor thing was battered and hardly recognisable.
“I- I shouldn't be here,” he ran his hand through his hair, “You know both Flame and Spoke threatened me, tried to lock me up. But your buddy Theo stepped in, saying you wouldn't want this:”
The demon hybrid fell to his knees, gripping the tomb, head resting against the stone. “I miss you, you know that? I grieve you every day, because you're gone. And it’s my fault,” he let out a self-deprecating laugh, “Don't tell the others but you were always my favourite.”
Parrot purses his lips in surprise.
As Wemmbu walks away, the mist returns, fading out the scene to another. But instead of a moment in time, it’s multiple.
They're all old now, the bright colours of their hair dimmed down into a sully white or gray, their clothes, while still in the colours, were replaced by more comfortable attire. Cardigans, sweatpants, and so on. Yet one item tied them all together.
Each person had a feather attached somewhere on their clothing much like Wifies did. His feather.
His heart swelled from the emotions, gratitude engraving itself into his bones.
Old age suited them, Parrot thought, happy and content.
“Let’s go, I’ve seen enough”
Wifies smiled brightly, “Just in time, the others should be arriving soon.”
What?
“Im sorry, what?”
“It’s been over 60 years since you died in their world but it'd only been like a few hours in here. So by that logic people should be arriving soon, average life span is also up to 76-84 depending on factors such as sex, age, activity and so on.”
“Nerd.”
“Shut up.”
Parrot didn’t have time to retort, having been tackled to the ground, or whatever the ground was.
There was no pain, but he groaned anyway, his eyes are greeted by a mop of purple hair. He looked up to see, Egg waving awkwardly.
Wemmbu
“Hi there.”
“Mm- ssssaruh”
A muffled phrase he couldn't quite make out, “Wemmbu?”
On cue the other lifted his head, “I’m so sorry, I didn't mean too-
“It’s ok, you had no choice-”
“NO, I could have-”
Wemmbu didn't get another chance to speak, Spoke having jumped on top of both of them,”Not fair, I want to be a group hug as well.”
Parrot wheezed, the impact knocking the air out his lungs, “Hi Spoke.”
“I missed you.”
“Missed you both as well.”
As he tried to get up, Wemmbu started to argue with Spoke, the banter making both him and Wifies snicker.
Some things never change.
Soon, Flame appeared as well, hugging him tight. “Never do that again,” his grip tightening around Parrot’s shoulders.
The hybrid awkwardly patted his brother’s back, stifling a smile. “Yeah, yeah.”
A voice cut in, their hug short-lived, ”It’s good to see you.”
Reina.
Parrot’s gaze rose forward, stepping away from Flame. A warm feeling in his chest, she chose to live, to move forward. He ruffled her hair, pride heavy in his lungs, as she hugged him tight as well.
”Leave some hugs for me as well, dam bro.”
Theo.
Parrot couldn’t help himself, tearing himself away from the girl as he rushed forward, gripping the yellow bird hybrid in a warm embrace.
”Missed you too, buddy.”
Theo returned the gesture with equal velocity, tears dampening Parrot’s shirt.
Wifies watched the scene from a slight distance, a smile tugging at his lips. Maybe leaving was the best thing I could do for you.
As the man began to walk away, there was a strong grip on his arm.
”You don’t get to leave for a third time.”
And so he didn’t, joining Parrot and the others, walking off into the distance, the light engulfing them all.
Their time had finally come.