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“Kid, don’t you think you’ve been acting a little… reckless?”
Purple paused their looting spree to look up at Mango. He was sat at the top of the hole the treasure was in, dangling his legs off the edge as he munched on a piece of bread.
“Huh?”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’ve been landing some good blows on the mobs we've come across. But I think you sometimes forget that the game's changed…” He pointed to the floating hearts above their heads, a darker color than they were before. “One wrong move and… well, it’s all over.”
Purple frowned. They'd been given this same talk from Mango earlier when they were first exploring the new world, and they had already grown sick of it. They weren’t a child, they didn’t need to be watched over 24/7 lest they up and die somehow. Heck, they were a ruler once!
Maybe he was so pushy about it because he noticed their change in behavior.
It wasn’t like Purple was trying to hide it. They just wanted to try something new. Sometimes they weren’t even aware that they were doing it, like when they made their voice sound higher around the others as they talked. They started walking differently too, being overly aware of the way their feet moved and how their arms swayed alongside them. Everything they could physically do, they made an effort to make sure it was different from how they used to be.
Just like Mango, they had once taken on a new identity to distance themself from their past. Using a fancy title, they ruled with an iron fist over a small village until they were inevitably overthrown. Though they had changed since then, their most common mannerisms and traits all originated from that time. Purple’s body craved change. They wanted to start acting like their mother, who had shown them the only source of kindness in their life, while still retaining the strength they’d gained over the years.
It was hard, finding a balance for the two. Though here, in this mystical world, Purple felt more sure of themselves than they ever had before. They could laugh and run and feel freer than ever, while at the same time feel so in control as they took down monsters with their sword. It was a perfect mix of brawn and bliss, two things Purple thought described them very well.
Someone telling them that that wasn’t the case made them more angry than it should’ve.
“I’ve been careful not to let that happen…” They mumbled, keeping their eyes on the chest in front of them. Mango scoffed from above.
“Just… stop rushing into danger like you’ve been doing before, alright? You never know what might happen.”
“Only if it doesn’t rush into me first,” Purple sighed as they closed the chest, offering some of the weapons they found to the taller stickman.
“I’m good,” Mango said, standing up and beginning to walk out of the tall room. Purple quickly pocketed their findings and pulled themself out of the hole. As they rushed to keep up with him, a nagging thought made its presence known at the edge of their brain.
He doesn't think you're strong enough.
They shook their head fiercely.
+~----~+
The Valkyries were nothing like Purple or Mango had ever seen before. From a distance, they could only see a fraction of their beauty. Though here in the colosseum, with two of them right in front of the pair of sticks, Purple began to study each of their unique traits. Their golden hair glowed in the sunlight, and the armor they adorned was shiny and clean. Those beautiful wings they carried so gracefully on their backs were soft and fluffy, like a pillow stuffed with clouds.
Purple desperately wanted to relive the feeling of flight ever since their elytra had broken. They had used it whenever they could, becoming part of them like an extra body part. Though they supposed it had gotten quite old since they found it, and the strain Purple put on it while trying to save their friends only accelerated its deterioration.
When they first lost it, they felt so vulnerable. Like anything could happen to them and they wouldn’t be able to find a way out. And though that feeling had shrunk during their time here, it wouldn’t hurt to have a more practical way of getting around with everything in the sky.
It was time for some new wings.
When they asked the beautiful creatures about a way to gain a pair, the Valkyries first tested them. They put Purple up against a monster disguised as a chest. Purple smirked, repositioning their stance and raising their sword. This was their chance to prove their worth.
And then Mango stepped in, getting in the way of their harder hits. Eventually, the monster had been defeated, but not the way Purple wanted it to. The Valkyries giggled to themselves, finding humor in Mango’s urge to help them.
They didn’t like that. That meant they saw them as weak.
They were not weak.
“Kid…” Mango let out an exasperated sigh. “Use your head before you use your sword!”
“Sorry…” Purple rubbed their arm as the Valkyries began walking away.
“Listen to what I said earlier,” said Mango, “Please.”
“Fineee…” Purple relented with a groan, walking just behind Mango as he followed the Valkyries.
Purple bit their lip. They’d show Mango and the Valkyries what they were made of. They’d prove that they were worthy of their attention, that they were like them.
+~----~+
“Your highness, it’s an honor to be in your presence.” Purple bowed before the pristine lady in front of them, no doubt the queen of the Valkyries. If the silver color of her hair and wings didn't make her stand out from the other deities, she was slightly larger than all of them as well. Her wings seemed a bit longer as well, or perhaps they were just stretched out to appear more threatening. They flapped softly as she stepped towards the stick figures.
“We wish to find the way to gain wings as beautiful as yours,” Purple continued. That last part had slipped out, but it was genuine. They wished their elytra was as graceful as those feathers.
“I may show you how…” The queen gently said, before slipping a golden sword out and raising it at them. “If you are able to defeat me.”
A mad grin spread across Purple’s face. Finally, their chance had come! Once and for all, they would be appreciated for their strength and beauty, just like the rest of the Valkyries. Their smile still intact, Purple pulled out their sword and pointed it at the queen, ready to commence the battle.
"Hold on," Mango ordered, sliding his own sword out of his inventory and pulling Purple to the side.
"Purple, look at your health. This is way too dangerous for you..." He hovered his hand over the smaller stick's head, revealing their ten fragile hearts. Purple crossed their arms in defiance.
"You have the same health as me!!" They pointed out, waving wildly at Mango's head to reveal his own hearts.
"Well…" he said, stretching and cracking his neck a few times. "Better me than you."
The Valkyrie Queen stared at Mango for a moment before nodding. Mango nodded back, and the two both stepped away from each other as the Valkyries prepared for the fight.
Purple didn't complain, though they wanted to. They knew Mango was only trying to keep them safe, and a part of them really did appreciate that. But the other part of them, the part that was screaming and clawing for attention, wanted to yell at him and tell him they could do this on their own. They didn't need to be coddled by someone who barely made it out alive in the caves. All Purple wanted to do was prove themselves the way these guardians of light had all done.
Those wings… They meant something deeper to Purple. Maybe it was just the fact that they looked so different, so new compared to their elytra, or that they simply radiated an angelic aura whenever they gazed upon them.
Whatever it was, Purple allowed someone else to help them with clenched fists. Even when the urge to pull out their sword was stronger than ever.
+~----~+
Purple's breath grew heavy as they saw the player who had almost killed Mango run off, their avatar burning from the arrows they shot at them. They wanted to chase them down and finish them off, but even they knew that was a risky idea. The important thing was that Mango was safe.
As their grip on the bow tightened in their hand, something slipped out of their mouth that was a strike contrast from their desperate panting.
A chuckle.
They stopped themself for a moment to question if they'd heard it right. Why… Why were they laughing? Mango could've died if they hadn't shown up when they did! A pang of guilt began a course through their body, before being halted by a string of thoughts that wove their way through their mind.
Mango had always tried to steer them away from danger. He didn't think they were strong enough, swift enough, or even ready to handle a fight on their own. Experiencing the thrill of fighting something with no assistantance besides their weapons… excited them in a way.
It made them feel alive.
It made them feel like themself.
Purple had obviously been in fights several times over the course of their life. But it never felt like how it was supposed to make them feel. Instead of gaining the upper hand, they would be frantically trying to do anything they could to convince their opponent they were in control. Their fists always swung with a flurry of emotions. They had to come out on top or else be seen as weak. A disappointment.
And when they did inevitably lose, they were never prepared for the hurt that it brought.
Purple was never comfortable with the way their body dodged and kicked just so they could run away in the end. There was always a looming burden that made fighting so miserable, and truthfully, they hadn't done much of it after the whole Minecraft incident (they didn't count running away from a bunch of armor stands seeking vengeance as fighting).
But now, they could finally take back that feeling. Now, they felt like they were on top of the world. Now, their body felt right.
Purple looked behind them, seeing Mango still on the edge of the cliff. They hurried over and pulled him up, glad to see he was still in one piece.
"Are you okay?" They asked as the taller stick brushed some dirt off his legs.
"Yeah…" he breathed. "Thanks." Mango looked at Purple with wide eyes, like he hadn't seen them in years. There was a certain glint in them, an emotion Purple hadn't seen in a long time.
Pride.
Before Purple could fully register if what they were seeing was really there, Mango set a tired hand on their shoulder.
"We should probably head back."
Purple looked up at him and nodded.
"Yeah, good idea."
+~----~+
"We are facing a dangerous threat," one of the Valkyries told Mango, who had entered the colleseum along with Purple upon seeing the rapid day-night cycle in the sky. No doubt that player was the culprit. "Without a queen, we have no one to guide us…"
She then took out the same golden sword the queen once wielded, holding it out in front of Mango.
"You were able to defeat her, which shows you have the power to get rid of this evil, once and for all."
Mango was taken aback. Flattered, yet taken aback. Besting the queen was not an easy feat, and he knew someone who had the strength to do so should be rewarded. But as he looked at the sword, then at the wings on the Valkyrie's back, someone more deserving of the prize came to mind. Someone who fought tooth and nail to try and become something like these angelic deities, and who Mango kept from doing so out of fear that they'd get hurt.
"I'm sorry, but…" Mango started, not fully confident that this was the right choice. "I have to decline."
The other Valkyries looked at each other in confusion, and Mango could hear a small gasp from behind him. Turning around, he saw Purple, eyes wide and mouth agape. The taller one stepped forward and placed his hands on their shoulders, giving them a determined expression as he nodded. He gave every ounce of his trust to them, no matter how hard it was. He pushed them over to the girl holding the sword.
"I think that they're more suited for the job."
The angel in front of Purple held the sword away from them, looking at her comrades hesitantly. The other Valkyries shared similar looks of concern. Purple's eyes fell to the floor, and Mango knew that they were doubting their own abilities.
But he had seen what they could do. He knew they were ready.
"Trust me," he urged the Valkyries. "You'll want this one leading the charge more than anyone else in this room."
Finally, the angel sighed, lowering the sword back down to Purple. The stick glanced back at Mango, giving them a surprised look that said, Really?
Mango simply gave them a proud grin.
Purple shifted their focus back to the Valkryie. They got on one knee before her, holding their hands out.
"Thank you," they uttered.
As the blade of gold touched Purple's hands, they felt a tingling sensation coming from their back. Standing up, the stick was shocked to see two white wings just underneath their shoulder blades, much like the late queen. Shock quickly turned to excitement as they flapped their new additions eagerly, just to see them move. They were more gorgeous than they could've ever imagined.
And now, they were theirs.
+~----~+
As Purple plunged their sword into the player one final time, the avatar erupted into dust as their inventory spilled out onto the floor. Adreneline pumped through their veins, their senses temperarally on pause as they recovered from the tough fight. Their health had gone down tremendously, but they managed to get back up and finish what they started.
Purple gasped as they felt multiple hands lifting them up, before being tossed in the air as the Valkyries cheered their name.
"All hail the queen!"
"You saved us!"
"Hooray for her majesty!"
Purple smiled. That was all they wanted to hear.
As they were lowered back down, Purple had no time to thank everyone for giving them the opportunity to fight, as they were quickly enveloped in a hug by a taller figure.
Mango.
All the love, joy, and astonishment he felt was put into that one, singular embrace, and Purple felt it all simultaneously. It was overwhelming, yet extremely relieving to know that Mango finally trusted them. That he finally accepted that they knew what they were doing.
Purple reciprocated the hug, tears bubbling up in their eyes.
When the two parted, Purple looked down at their sword, then back at Mango.
"Here," they said, holding the weapon out with both hands. "I think this belongs to you."
"No, no," Mango insisted, taking Purple's hands and wrapping them around the hilt firmly. "You deserve this way more than me. You've earned this, kid."
Purple flapped their new wings in excitement. The queen had finally become who she always wanted to be.