Work Text:
Where is this guy?
ParrotX2 squinted as he tried to make out anything other than white in this blizzard. Who knew the Farlands could have weather this bad?
Well, actually, Parrot knew. He had known since the start that the journey through The Farlands could be dangerous, but it was safer than the Northern Council right now. Cindercrest had won, and they had turned Spawn and the surrounding area into a death trap for the former king and his allies.
Remembering that embarrassing final fight with Saparata, that one where he had lost so completely and ran away and hid in a random house at Spawn, Parrot bit his cheek as he felt a lump in his throat begin to swell. Stupid, stupid tears began to form in the corners of his eyes, and he quickly dashed them away with a swipe of his hand. He was so emotional these days. When did he become this much of a cry baby?
Though, to cut himself some slack, it had been a hard few months. Ruling all of Unstable had been hard, thankless work.
Maybe I’m not cut out to be king.
Parrot hated to say it, but it was probably true. Who was he but a failure of a ruler? He couldn’t stop people from starving, he couldn’t stop the war from breaking out, and he couldn’t stop Cindercrest from taking over. He was a lousy king. Even if he would never admit it out loud, he knew he deserved to be hated. I deserve everything happening to me.
A snowflake hit him square in the eye, and Parrot flinched. He hated this freezing cold weather, but didn’t know where else would be safe to go. After Saparata had defeated him, Parrot had fled Spawn and found Theo injured from battle, searching for him. Together, they had travelled as far as they could to get away from their enemies (who, it seemed, was unfortunately anyone still alive).
“Theo!” Parrot yelled into the storm. Where is this guy? Seriously? I tell him to stay close and he loses me immediately.
There was no response. Parrot continued to trudge forward, breathing heavily and resisting the urge to collapse. His feet hurt and his wings felt like lead weights on his back. I should have know this would be a bad idea.
When he had first seen the snow, Parrot had thought, Wow. That's beautiful. After all, Parrot hadn't seen a snowy biome in a long while. It made sense for him to be hit with a little thrill seeing it again after so long. Even Theo had been struck momentarily, shocked by on the pretty white snowflakes.
But after trekking through the biome for an hour, they had rapidly begun to change their minds.
The snow was never ending and entirely uniform. Parrot wasn't even sure he even knew the way back. How many times had he tripped over a snow bank and accidentally turned in another direction? He had no idea. All he could do was keep going forward and hope that, eventually, the biome would end and he would be anywhere else. That didn't seem likely to happen anytime soon though. Avians were gifted with enhanced vision, and Parrot couldn't see shit.
Other than the snow, of course.
He continued to move. Creator, Theo...where is that guy? Somehow, the fellow avian and him had been seperated in this blizzard. One second, Theo had been right beside him, muttering under his breath about stupid revolutions and dumb snow biomes. The next, he was gone, and Parrot hadn't realized it until it was too late. He had spun around, calling for his friend, to no avail. Now Parrot was alone, and cold, and hungry, and annoyed.
And sad.
He didn't like being by himself.
It had been a long time since he'd been alone.
"Parrot!"
Theo's voice broke through Parrot's thoughts. Parrot looked up and turned toward the voice, letting out a sigh of relief at the very welcome sight of his friend. There was Theo, waving at him and running through the snow. How does he still have the energy? Theo’s wings were caked in snow, and the golden chain around his neck appeared to have grown a layer of ice around it. His golden hair was in disarray, with snowflakes shining through the chaos. I probably look just as bad as him, Creator. Parrot changed course and moved toward his friend, albiet travel much slower than his sprinting friend.
Eventually, they met, and Theo grabbed Parrot's shoulder, leading down to take multiple quick breaths before burying into chatter.
"Dude! How did you lose me? Come on!"
Parrot felt a flash of irritation, quickly softened by affection. Theo didn’t mean and harm, and he wasn’t being critical, just friendly. "Lose you? Come on bro, I said to stay next to me and then you disappeared!"
"Okay, fair enough. Let's get out of here, please. I'm so sick of snow, man."
Parrot let out a hum of agreement, and the two began to walk in the direction Parrot had been going. I hope so, anyway. I might have gotten turned around and just gave no idea. The pair of avians stretched out their wings to prevent them from locking up and periodically stopped to eat the few rations they had left. The blizzard eventually stopped, but the snow continued to come down softly.
Parrot closed his eyes and he continued to walk. He was beginning to feel sleepy. He knew that wasn't a good thing. Chances were, he was sick. If he went to sleep, there was a high probability he wouldn't wake up. But he couldn't help but feel so very, very tired. He had been walking for so long. He had been scared, too, for what felt like forever. It would be nice to just curl up and rest, get away from this living nightmare and escape into a dream.
Suddenly, it hit him that Theo was talking. Has he been talking to me this entire time? I'm a bad friend for not listening, shit. What is he saying?
"What's with this house in the middle of no where?"
Parrot opened his eyes and stopped. What? It was impossible. It couldn't be.
In front of him, in the distance, was something he swore he'd never return to. A place that he only ever saw in his dreams and nightmares.
And, in a twisted sense, he had kept his promise. There was no way he was at the original location. Somehow, it had come to him.
The wooden cabin glowed through the snow, its fiery lights loud compared to the white environment. Parrot could barely make out the yellow-tinted windows panes that confirmed his fears.
Parrot knew of the Farland glitches. Entire places and civilizations could be recreated out here by the word for no reason. And of course this place would get copied over. Damn it!
"It'll be warm." Parrot heard himself say, dragging his body forward toward the sight. He felt as if he were underwater, speaking without actually hearing himself clearly. The house loomed, inviting and terrifying.
But Parrot was logical. They were going to die out here in the snow. If the entire house was copied over, it probably had the food in it too. That would give them shelter from the windy cold and items to help them restock. They had to go inside. It was pragmatic.
Parrot hated it.
He hated himself for saying it.
"Yeah, let's go- hey, wait! Yo, bro! Hello! Who are you? Why are you invis all the way out here?"
Parrot turned to Theo in confusion, furrowing his brows. "Bro, what are you talking about? I'm literally right here."
But as unease hit him in the chest, Parrot turned back toward the house and his feet halted. He couldn’t move.
A netherite player in quartz flow trims stood in front of the house, invisible.
Parrot felt his heart stop.
"Parrot, come on! That guy might have something that can help us!"
Theo grabbed Parrot's arm and hustled him forward, and on autopilot, Parrot moved with him. Soon, they were facing the netherite player. The charcoal helmet glinted in the snow, and mountains could faintly be seen behind it. But Parrot didn't take his eyes off the person in front of him.
No, it's not a person. It's not him.
"Hey, you! Dude!"
Parrot watched as the invisble player took out a bucket of milk and it was like his heart restarted. Suddenly, it felt so loud he coundn't breath over the sound. Everything hurt even more and his thoughts raced, no no no no stop stop stop stop stop stop stop I can’t I can’t see his face I can’t I can’t I can’t i can’t
The player was no longer invisible.
Theo came to a standstill, and the only movement was the falling snow. The pair just watched.
"I-Parrot. Isn't that...your friend? The one who defeated The Mafia with us?"
Parrot swallowed thickly. He couldn’t move his eyes from the sight before him. He couldn't answer Theo. His voice wouldn't work. When he tried to open his mouth, he could only take in a large gasp of air before closing it again. His hands shook as he stared at the memory in front of him.
Wifies.
"Parrot, I think something's wrong. He's talking, but I can't hear him. What's going on?"
Parrot opened his mouth again and, this time, finally, found his voice. He never took his eyes off the thing as he spoke.
"Dude, it's a Farlands echo."
Parrot could practically see Theo scrunching his face in confusion.
"What? That's not-"
"No." Parrot did his best to keep his voice firm. "It's not real."
Under his breath, he whispered, "Oh my god bro."
Wifies's lips were moving, and Parrot could hear the words so loud it was hard to believe it was just in his head.
"Because this is the story I wrote. I controlled everything, I told them not to kill you. And now I know everything about you. I know exactly how you think, how you act, how you work. And that's all I need for the next part of my plan."
That day, the snow had fallen, the house had stood still, and it had all felt like some sort of horrible nightmare. Parrot had been so conflicted, maybe the most he has ever been. His best friend, the person he cared for more than anything in the world, the person he had thought to be dead, was standing right in front of him. Wifies was alive and well. He was also evil and conniving and manipulative and Parrot had hated it. That wasn't his best friend that day. That was someone else, something else. A parasite had infiltrated his friend's brain and made him into a person not so friendly. A person who would trap him, who would clip his wings and keep him hidden away from the world. Parrot had struggled to understand how it had happened. What had he done wrong? Wifies had talked about the End Civilization, and how he had died that day and the Director had been born. But how could that be? How could Wifies be dead when he was standing right in front of him?
How can Wifies still be dead when he's standing right in front of me now?
"Parrot, it's like he's talking to someone but...there's no one here. Is something wrong with the echo?"
Parrot began to breathe heavily, but at least now he was breathing. Wifies turned his head as he continued to move his lips silently, so it made since why Theo was confused. To him, it was as if Wifies was turning toward nothing.
"He was...talking to me. I don't know why I'm not here. Maybe the echo doesn't include me. Maybe I'm not allowed to see a double version of myself. I don't know, bro."
Theo was quiet. Parrot didn't say anything to fill the silence. He already felt as if he had said too much. The wind blew and the snow fell and he continued to watch the echo of Wifies.
"Does...does this have anything to do with why I found you running around at spawn without anything on you?"
Parrot knew the question was coming but flinched away from it instinctively. Theo had been desperate to know what had happened to Parrot so long ago, and Parrot couldn't blame him. He would want to know too, if he were in Theo's position. But I can’t. He couldn't talk about it. Thinking about Wifies and the Director hurt enough. Actually talking about Paragon would sent him spiraling.
"Yeah."
That was all he could say.
Theo paused before asking quietly, "Do you wanna talk about it?"
Parrot shook his head rapidly, creator no I don’t, and suddenly, Wifies was gone. What? Panic hit Parrot in overwhelming force, and he turned around wildly. Where did he go? What happened? How did he leave?
Oh.
The Director was exiting the house, and soon returned to his position in the snow across Parrot.
The echo had reset.
It was a good reminder. None of this was real. It was a fabrication, a snippet of a long-gone past that didn't matter anymore. Forgetting that would only drag Parrot deep into The Pit.
"No. No, just, go inside, bro. Restock. I...can't. I'll wait out here."
Theo hesitated, watching Parrot carefully. Parrot avoided his gaze. I need him to go. I can’t tell him, not yet, not ever.
"Are you sure, dude? Do you want me to leave you with...him?"
"It." Parrot corrected quickly. "It's not a person. It's just...a reflection of the past. I'll be fine. You go."
Theo didn't move. Parrot continued to watch The Director speak silently, waiting. Theo would listen to him. He always did, at the end of the day. He was a good friend like that.
Finally, he heard footsteps pad through the snow. The cabin door creaked open, and quietly closed shut. At last, Parrot was alone. Alone with the echo.
Parrot hated dwelling on bad things, especially things that he was at fault for. Thus, any sort of memories or thoughts that fell along those lines went into a corner of his brain he dubbed "The Pit". It was a part of his mind where he imagined taking anything bad and squishing it down into a dark cavern where it would never be seen again.
Things, obviously, did not work that way. Often, these memories would come unbidden to him in dreams or as he lie in bed, awake. But there was no harm in letting the tears roll down his face in the dark. It was an emotional release away from people, that was all. He could put off the memories in the light of day, sending them down into The Pit.
Parrot couldn't ignore this memory right now though.
He had been doing so well, damn it. He had nearly purged all of his mind of Wifies. He avoided anything that reminded him of his former best friend religously, and had even learned how to hold his spyglass without getting any sort of flashbacks or pangs of emotion.
Now, though?
Parrot was helpless as he stared at The Director slowly drink the bucket of milk and reveal himself, again, as Parrot's former best friend.
Wifies...
Parrot felt The Pit swallow him whole.
~
"Parrot, do you think you could ever...hate me?"
Parrot looked up from his book to smile at Wifies in confusion. They were both in their pajamas, ready to go to bed. But Wifies had stopped Parrot on the way to his room and asked him if he wanted to spend a little more time together before they turned in for the night. Parrot, never one to deny his best friend a hangout, immediately agreed.
They had settled in the study, the fireplace roaring as they sat down. Parrot had smiled as Wifies silently handed him the book the avian had been reading this week. He knows me so well! And together, they had settled in the chairs by the fireplace and begun to read.
But after only a few minutes, Wifies had raised the unusual question.
“Uh, I don’t know bro. Why? Are you going to do something?” Parrot asked with a laugh. Wifies was known to bring up strange topics of conversation sometimes. It was just the way he was—curious and thoughtful. Parrot always admired that quality in Wifies. It was probably what made his best friend so very smart.
“No, no, I was just…wondering. I don’t think I could ever hate you, Parrot.”
Wifies looked up suddenly from his own book and looked at Parrot directly. His face was serious, and Parrot felt a pang of fondness hit him. Was Wifies…insecure? About their friendship?
He shouldn’t be. Parrot would be Wifies’s best friend forever.
“I don’t think I could hate you either Wifies.” Parrot smiled, doing his best to lift the spirits of his friend. And Wifies smiled softly in the way he did whenever Parrot did something silly that made affection sparkle in his eyes. What’s up with him? Oh well, I’m sure he’ll tell me eventually.
I trust him.
“As long as you don’t like, betray me!” Parrot added on with a small laugh. Wifies laughed with him.
~
“Everybody’s dancing.” Wifies commented, watching the band of rebels form a line to dance around the base of District Thirteen.
“Why wouldn’t they? We’re going to win the war!” Parrot could wipe the smile from his face. He had done it! With this, they would finally defeat The Mafia! Ashswagg would die, everybody would be free, and peace would return to the server. Everything was finally going right.
Wifies hummed thoughtfully, and Parrot elbowed him in the side gently. “Come on bro, we should join!”
Wifies hesitated, before capturing Parrot’s hand in his. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Parrot giggled (ok, that was embarrassing) and let himself be dragged into the fray.
~
“How could you do this?” Parrot asked, conversationally, and he gripped the fishing rod tightly. He focused on the bob in the water, refusing to look at the man next to him. His former best friend, now enemy.
The voice came gently. “You know why I had to, Parrot.”
Parrot gritted his teeth. “No, I don’t. Why do you have to keep me locked up like this, bro. This is stupid.”
The avian swallowed thickly, trying to keep the simmering rage low. He was supposed to be playing along, damn it. But he had to ask. He had to try to understand Wifies, and, hopefully, use that to change his mind.
“We can go back to the way things were.” Parrot lied. He hated lying to Wifies. The words tasted like ash on his tongue, but they were necessary. “We can go back to our base. We can be best friends again, bro.”
Wifies was silent for a moment before he sighed heavily. Parrot immediately knew he had made a mistake.
“Parrot. I know what I’ve done. I know…I can’t go back from this. Please understand that I’m doing this for you, and just stay.”
There was a note of sadness in his voice that made Parrot, for just a moment, want to comfort him. Immediately, he squashed that feeling away. They were done. Wifies was right—there’s no coming back from this. Parrot would never forgive Wifies for all that he had done.
But in this minute, he almost wished he could.
~
“I don’t know if I forgive you.”
Parrot spoke the words quietly. The echo had reset, so The Director stood there, invisible, playing out a scene that had been over for months. Parrot kept talking.
“I told you that I would remember you as my best friend Wifies, the one who was kind to everyone. But I lied. I can’t forget what you became, Wifies, and it hurts.”
Parrot had cried so much today. He didn’t want to do it more, but he couldn’t help it.
“Remembering you…it hurts so bad. I can’t do it. I wish I could forget you, but I can’t do that either. It’s like you’re always there, wherever I go. I hear your voice in others and I see your dumb face in crowds. And I ignore it every time because I hate thinking about you!” Parrots voice began to rise. It made his words come out raspy and pained, but he couldn’t stop. Water kept leaking from his eyes and he kept shouting because here was Wifies who was not Wifies who was the Director who was not even The Director because it wasn’t even real and damn it none of it was real!
“Why did you do this to me! What did I do wrong? Did you know I never really questioned myself before you? I always knew I was in the right. Maybe I made mistakes, but I knew what I was doing was at least moral. Now I don’t know anymore!”
The Director drank the fucking bucket of milk again, and revealed Wifies’s face. Parrot felt the tears spill faster at the sight. His best friend who was not anymore his best friend was here. He missed him so, so much, and hated him even more.
“I must have done something wrong when we were together. I can pretend it wasn’t my fault, but I know it was. I pushed you to become…whatever you were. But you ruined me, Wifies! You ruined me.”
Wifies moved his lips silently, and Parrot looked down, ignoring the words echoing in his head.
“Parrot, I am Wifies.”
He clenched his fist. Parrot wished he could punch the mirage, just to get out all this stupid emotion, but he knew it would be futile. Echoes didn’t take damage. They could hurt, but couldn’t be hurt back.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you, bro. I told you I would remember your better self but it’s so….so hard. I honestly don’t even know if it’s possible.”
Parrot could feel his heartbeat trying to escape his chest, and had to take several deep, calming breaths just to stand steady. The tears kept coming, but they were slower now. It’s all my fault. Creator, it’s all my fault.
I miss him.
“Parrot, dude. I’m done.”
Parrot turned toward the house at his friend’s voice. There was Theo, watching Parrot grimly. The snow on him seemed to have melted away, but he was quickly being pelted with fresh snowflakes to replace the lost ones.
Parrot swiped away the tears as his friend slowly walked to him. He didn’t know what to say. What even was there to say? Theo had watched Parrot crash out at a damn illusion.
“Here.” Theo pulled a piece of bread from his inventory and handed it to Parrot. Wordlessly, Parrot forced himself to shove the food down his throat. It was hard with the whole gasping-crying situation he had going on, but eventually, he finished off the item.
They stared at each other silently for several long moments.
“Let’s go.” Parrot said eventually. The tears had dried, and though his heart still felt as if he were dying, he hated to dwell on the bad memories. It was time to shove them back into The Pit again. “We have to get out of here. We have to find allies. I’m going to take back my throne.”
I’m not going to be weak anymore.
Theo grinned. “That’s what I like to hear, man!”
From behind Theo, The Director appeared in the doorway of the cabin. The echo had restarted again.
Parrot faced the mirage, doing his best to keep eye contact with a thing with no eyes.
“I’m not going to let this end here.” Parrot kept his voice firm. “I’m going to fix this and prove everyone wrong about me.”
The Director was silent.
“Let’s go then, dude!”
Theo cheered, turned and began to charge forward past the house, spirits seemingly renewed. Parrot followed after him, turning his head to keep the echo in his sights until, eventually, it was gone, hidden behind the oak logs of the house.
Good.
He faced forward. He was going to defeat Cindercrest and take his kingdom back from Saparata, and he wasn’t going to let the past hold him back. He had made mistakes, but he was going to be better. And the first step was leaving whatever this was in the dust.
“I don’t think I could ever hate you, Parrot.”
He shook off the memory and followed after Theo, leaving the echoes of the past behind.
The snow fell softly on the house, and The Director drank the bucket of milk and revealed himself as Wifies once more.