With SC's and Green's right around the corner, Perrito and the Tango family embark on an ambitious plan to give them something... something BIG. What is it, and will the pair of secondaries enjoy it?
Part 1: Ambitious Plans (Perrito)[]
I woke up on a brisk morning on the first day of October, not expecting to do anything outside of my typical routine. It started off as pretty much every day does for me: Daily devotions, check my YouTube feed, daily comics and Wordle games and variants… Typical stuff for a quiet, nerdy pup like myself. I was in the middle of some daily Solitaire when my doorbell pierced my earbuds into my sensitive, puppy dog ears.
‘Who could that be?’ I thought, taking out my earbuds and going to answer the door. When I did, I found Gold and Purple on the porch outside. My tail started wagging seeing them again.
“Purrito!” Gold exclaimed.
“Guys! What brings you here?”
“Well, we Tangos are planning something special for the Gang.” Purple explained. “SC and Green are celebrating their birthdays tomorrow and we want to celebrate them.”
“We’d love your help to set it up, and we also want to invite you to the celebration.” Gold added. “No doubt the others would love to see all of you there with us.”
“I find that hard to believe…” I half-joked.
“SC would, I’m sure of it.” Purple insisted. “And Green would as well. Do you accept?”
“Hmm…” I pondered. “Will there be cake?”
“Of course!” Gold confirmed.
“Then yeah, I accept your invitations, both to the party and to help set it up.”
“Awesome! Thanks, Purrito!” Purple exclaimed.
“Let me get dressed, I’ll be right out.”
I disappeared into my room, quickly got dressed in some “not exactly warm but not exactly cold” gear–the fall cold hadn’t completely set in as of yet–and returned. Purple and Gold were still waiting, and when I reappeared, the young Tangos smiled at me and led me to their home.
“What do you guys have planned?” I asked.
“All the classic birthday things: Cake, ice cream, presents, decorations…” Purple explained.
“But a lot more exciting!” Gold squealed. “Games, celebrations… It’s the Gang. There’s hardly ever a quiet moment with them.”
“Much to SC’s dismay.” I joked. “I’d imagine your dad would agree with SC. I know I sure as heck do.”
“Don’t worry, Perrito. It won’t be too sensory overload.” Purple promised.
“Even if it was, I can handle it.” I insisted. “Maybe not well, but I can handle it.” The young Tangos chuckled. “Hey, speaking of which, where is your dad?”
“He’s at the Gang’s PC, borrowing Yellow’s staff.” Purple explained.
“We’ll need it to help the building process.” Gold added.
“That makes sense. What do you have planned?” I asked.
“I think Dad has an idea.” Purple answered.
“Something awesome for SC and Green.” Gold piped up. “Especially SC. He deserves it for saving both Minecraft and the Outernet.”
“The dude’s a hero.” I agreed. “He definitely deserves something worthy of his status.”
We continued our casual chat, which eventually evolved into the football season and October baseball–I love sports, and the entire Tango family does as well–until we arrived at the Tango’s home. Purple and Gold stepped inside first, and I just followed like an obedient puppy.
“Dad, we’re home!” Purple called.
“Welcome home, kids!” King called. “Perrito, good to see you again!” I saw King sipping from a nearly finished mug of coffee. I felt my tail wag again.
“It’s good to see you too, King.” I replied.
“Did you get the Staff, Dad?” Gold asked.
“Yep.” King confirmed, pulling out his old staff, the one he gave to Yellow. “Yellow let me borrow it. I’m glad he trusts me with this considering my… track record.”
“Sticks can change for the better.” I pointed out. “We’re living proof of that.” Purple smiled at me, and King finished his last bit of coffee.
“Are you ready, kids?”
We all confirmed in our own ways and King led us down into his basement, to his portal. Turning it on, we stepped through it to the Nether, got seated in our minecart train, and one flick of the lever later, we were sent rolling down the rails.
“You excited, kids?” King asked.
“I’m hungry for some cake.” I said. “Oh jeez, I need to control my doggy slobbering.”
“It’ll be nice to celebrate SC and Green.” Purple added. “I owe them my life… All of our lives, come to think of it.”
“They’re such great friends, great sticks.” Gold agreed. “And so adventurous, too! I wish I could’ve been there for some of their adventures.”
“Believe me, Goldy, you don’t want to be in the epicenter of a black hole.” King joked, garnering laughs from us. “But I do have an idea for what to do… a birthday gift for them.”
“What’s that, Dad?” Purple asked.
“A history… of them.” King answered. “Their most talked about and beloved stories, across Minecraft and the Outernet, the stories and friends they hold close.”
“That’s a great idea, King.” I complimented. “If only a bit ambitious, but I think we can make it work. I have access to their entire history. It’s very well-documented.” I pulled my phone out, opened SC’s history on the AvA Wiki and handed King my phone. “Excuse the massive crack on it. My phone still works just fine.”
“Perfect. We can use this as a reference if need be.” King figured as we slowed to a stop.
“Hey, Perrito, if you want someone to turn a busted phone into a work of art, I might know a girl…” Purple said cheekily.
“My phone still works.” I claimed. “Maybe when it breaks completely, I’ll give Maggie a text… on a new phone.” We soon stopped.
“We’re here, kids. The plains portal underneath the Parkour course.” King called.
“The Par-kourse, if you will.” I said, chuckling. We stopped, we got out of our carts, and stepped through the portal to an open plain. We had plenty of room for building and didn’t have to clear any trees out of the way. King whipped out his staff and spun it around.
“Alrighty, kiddos,” he began, giving us a few blocks, “I can get started on their gift. It’s gonna be huge. In the meantime, you can set up things like seats, tables, decorations.”
“Got it, Dad.” Purple confirmed.
“Have fun, kids!”
We split up, Purple, Gold, and I assembled an area where the celebration was to be, decking it out in bright colors and birthday party decor. With the three of us, we made quick work of it, and as we were wrapping up, King was well on his way creating a living, working history of the sticks in a giant museum, of sorts. Seeing it for the first time, it took me by surprise.
“Whoa…” I gasped.
“If his speedrun was any indication, he still remembers how to use that staff.” Purple pointed out. “Like the back of my hand.”
“Isn’t the phrase, ‘like the back of his hand,’ baby bro?” Gold asked.
“He knows me just that well, Golden Oldie.” Purple teased back. King noticed us from afar and glided down to us on a wave of cobblestone.
“Well done, kids. It looks great! I especially like the colored blocks and flowers you used in it.”
“That was Perrito’s idea.” Purple said.
“I just hope SC and Green like sunnies like I do.” I sighed, referring to the sunflowers I planted. “They’re so pretty and friendly!”
“It looks amazing.” King complimented. “If you want to head inside and start decorating, go right ahead. I have several rooms done, all it needs is some Minecraft decorations.”
Part 2: Finishing Details (Perrito)[]
We were right in the middle of making an extravagant birthday celebration for SC and Green. The Tangos and I were hard at work in Minecraft, assembling the party area while King built the real gift for our friends. The party area wasn’t too hard to make, as with the younger Tangos helping, we finished with that pretty smoothly. No, the real test was the real gift, a living history museum of sorts of SC and his friends’ adventures.
After we finished, King–with his old staff–gave us some brightly-colored blocks and took off to continue his work. Each room was so well detailed, it looked like a living history of SC and the FSF, from when they first met to their first few adventures in Minecraft. It already took our breath away, so we agreed that we didn’t need to do much, just add a few details. I popped a few flowers for that pop of color here and there and added a sign to the front, like a museum sign.
“Hey guys, what do you think?” I called after writing some text reading, “The sticks vs. Her-Red-brine” on the sign. Purple and Gold got a chuckle out of it.
“I like it.” Gold said, smiling. “It’s so dumb it’s funny.”
“The best puns are.” I joked.
“The guys will love it.” Purple said. “C’mon, let’s keep going.”
We did exactly that, continuing to add details and minor upgrades to King’s already impressive build. The three of us working together made light work for all of us, the hardest thing about it was just how much there was. I didn’t realize how much history SC had with his friends until seeing it in front of me. And the crazy part about it was… This wasn’t even all of it.
King had the idea to split the museum into floors, this first floor would be their first adventures in Minecraft. From their first build battle to meeting Purple for the first time to their spider coaster ride, this floor has their first season of adventures, so to speak. As we climbed up to the second floor, we saw what King had made: The ViraBot, the first time they met Chosen, SC’s awakening… I don’t think I could do it justice with words.
“Wow…” Gold squeaked. “I wish I could’ve been there… Seeing it firsthand… I wonder if I have secret hidden powers inside me.”
“Other than being annoying?” Purple teased.
“You’re hilarious, you know that?” Gold joked back.
“Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty.” I joked, snickering. From Megamind to The Bad Guys, I added, “Ready to get to work?”
We all nodded yes and got busy.
“Do you guys remember feeling the impact of it?” I asked. “Dark’s defeat and all that?”
“Vaguely…” Gold said. “We heard it, but didn’t know what it was or who caused it, anything of the sort.”
“Not until SC and Chosen shared the truth with us, I guess.” Purple figured.
“That makes sense.” I reasoned, returning to my job. King did an amazing job of portraying SC lasering Dark into the ground. On the other wall was the Gang’s second season in Minecraft, from Yellow teaching them Redstone to the Lucky Block escapade. When we finished, it was on to floor three.
This was their most memorable adventure yet, and the one they hold in the highest regard, if only for the friends they made afterwards. Not just the Tango family, but the Monster School students, the villagers, the Warden, and the musical mobs. When we first saw it, we agreed on one aspect: We couldn’t improve perfection, and King clearly poured his heart out when making this.
“How do we top this?” Gold asked.
“I don’t think we can.” Purple observed, wiping his eyes.
“If it ain’t broke…” I shrugged. “Yo, Purple, you should show this to Maggie. I bet she’d be awestruck.”
“She would, she definitely would…” Purple replied distantly.
“You good, bro?” Gold asked.
“I just miss her… A lot…” Purple sighed, pulling out his phone. His wallpaper was a picture of the two of them snuggling up close to each other. “I’ll have to visit her soon. No doubt she misses me.”
“She’d like that.” I replied. “Hey, wanna see what’s upstairs?”
Purple dried his eyes and sniffled.
“Yeah.”
We climbed to the next floor and saw the next displays, these ones involving SC and Chosen vs. Vic and fused Dark. I couldn’t recall how they told the story, so it was nice to see how it ended. Yep, to no surprise, it’s mindblowing. We did our thing, adding details to it, and continued up to the fifth and final floor, involving the fourth season of the sticks in Minecraft, from their epic race to the even more memorable concert, to their Bedwars shenanigans, along with SC’s vivid dreams about math, physics, and geometry, Yellow’s coding adventure, and Blue’s fight against addiction, as well as Green’s experience as a YouTuber. By that time, King was up there polishing off his work and when he finished, the four of us added some finishing touches. After we finished, we took a step back and admired our work.
“Well done, everyone!” King praised, handing me my phone back. “It looks incredible.”
“Thanks, King.” I replied. “I especially like how you put Green’s YouTube experience on here.”
“Well, it’s his birthday, too.” Gold pointed out. “It’s actually today, but he and SC are having a joint celebration since their birthdays are literally one day apart.”
“I’m just glad I was there for him when he needed it, just as he was there for me all those years ago.” Purple said warmly. “He clearly was becoming a different stick, someone none of us recognized. It’s a good thing we stopped his spiral before it got worse, Dad, and Green took away a valuable lesson from it.”
“Absolutely.” King agreed. “And I’m so proud of you for helping him.” Purple beamed with pride as he dried his eyes again. My puppy dog ears overheard Gold quietly snickering to himself. “Finished with the lower levels, kids?” King continued.
“Yep, though I’m not a fan of climbing four flights of stairs.” I panted.
“Seriously, Perrito?” Gold teased.
“Hey, I’m an out of shape puppo!” I said defensively. “I’m not afraid to admit it.”
“Just kidding, buddy.” Gold laughed.
“It all looks incredible, especially that third floor, Dad.” Purple praised. “You went above and beyond for each of those displays.”
“Thanks, kiddo.” King replied. “That adventure holds a special place in my heart.”
“Why is that, Dad?” Gold asked.
“Mostly because of the aftermath.” King explained. “I hated going through it at the time, but what I found afterwards… I wouldn’t do anything different.” He paused for a moment. “Except maybe when I lashed out on those workers at the Minecraft booth. It wasn’t their fault and I shouldn’t have… done what I did to them.”
“Not the Piglin Brute that you removed the AI from?” Purple asked. King paused.
“He was a hostile mob anyway. I have less regret about him than the workers.”
“You can’t blame yourself, King, for snapping like you did.” I added gently. “Any loving dad would’ve reacted the same way.”
“Not to mention you made that incredible staff.” Purple pointed out. “None of this would be possible if not for that staff.”
“You’re so true, my Little Prince.” King agreed.
“Hey, how long have we been working?” Gold asked. “I’m getting hungry.”
“Me too, I could use something to eat right about now.” I agreed. King smiled at us.
“Time for a much-deserved break. I’ll cook up something for us all. I’m proud of all three of you for doing such a tremendous job.”
I felt my tail wag excitedly.
“Thanks, Dad.” Purple said tearfully.
The three Tangos exchanged a hug–I joined after Purple begged me to–and we headed downstairs and outside. King assembled some benches for us and started cooking up some Minecraft food for us. Once it was finished, we blessed it and dug into it like hungry wolves, chowing down on King’s delicious cooking. He and Blue have amazing skills in the kitchen, just don’t ask me to tell you who’s the better chef, because I couldn’t tell you.
After we refuelled ourselves, we gave one last look over at the Gang’s museum, wanting to make sure it was perfect, or as close to perfect as possible. We agreed that we were content with our work, we did a great job if I do say so myself. With our gift and preparations finished, we returned to the Nether to head back to the Tango’s home.
“You kids can head home.” King insisted. “I got to return Yellow’s staff. I’ll be there in a bit.”
“Gotcha.” I said.
“See you soon, Dad!” Gold called as he took a seat. Purple and I followed suit and King sent us rolling down the line.
“Hey, is anyone else joining the celebration?” I asked. “Aside from the Gang, obviously.”
“Candy might be joining us.” Purple answered. “She would’ve joined us today to help us build, actually, but she was held up at Tiger Tech.”
“She claimed she’ll be here tomorrow, though, for SC’s and Green’s birthdays.” Gold added. “Red will be here, obviously, and you can’t keep those two apart.”
“They do have such sweet chemistry.” I agreed, chuckling. “Like if Mr. Wolf and Diane Foxington were real.”
The two Tangos laughed as we rolled down the track, soon stopping at the Tango’s home portal. We stepped through it back to their basement and climbed the ladder back to the main floor of the Tango’s home.
“Hey, Perrito, since we’ve got you here,” Purple began, “wanna stick around for a game or two? We can dig Clue out from our game closet.”
“Oh my gosh I can’t resist that.” I answered. “Get it out, I shall crush all of you!” Purple left to get it while Gold remained with me.
“We’ll be sure to wait for Dad, no doubt he’ll want to play with us.” Gold pointed out.
“I could definitely use a break. I don’t think I’ve built anything that large-scale before.” I agreed. Purple promptly returned, Clue in his hands.
“Got it, guys.” Purple proclaimed, setting the game on the table. “I would’ve gotten our chess set, Perrito, but we don’t have a four-player version of it yet.”
“You know me well, Purple.” I said, showing off my chess King-shaped pawprints. Gold took a closer look, and I couldn’t resist sending a burst of light akin to a phone camera flash at him. He flinched in response.
“Flashbanged!” I laughed. “Just without the bang.”
“You’re funny, Perrito.” Gold chuckled, taking a seat at the table. I joined him and as Purple set up the game, King returned through the trapdoor.
“I’m home, kids!” He called. “Ooh, I see you brought out the games.”
“Yeah! Wanna play with us, Dad?” Purple asked.
“Don’t cry when I kick your butts.” King teased, taking a seat across from me. The four of us played a few rounds of Clue which was a lot of fun. Eventually, Gold got the spontaneous idea to have me spend the night with them, if only so that the four of us could head to the Plains together. King was fine with it, and I was down for it after a moment of thought, after a quick trip back home to get some sleepover essentials. I had a great time with the Tango family from the afternoon to the evening and night, watching movies and gaming, King even bought us pizza for dinner. Eventually, though, it was time for bed, and we all went to sleep, eager for the other Secondaries to see our gift to them.
Part 3: Birthday Surprises (The Second Coming)[]
I woke up at my usual time on an early October morning… or any morning for that matter: late. The guys were letting me sleep in, which I always ask for. Whether I actually get it or not is more of a toss-up. But on today of all days, the guys are usually pretty good about letting me sleep, even despite their excitement. Goodness knows Red and Blue are bouncing off the walls, albeit for differing reasons.
A quick glance at the calendar explains why, but I didn’t even need it to know… It’s my birthday! And the day after Green’s as well. The two of us tend to celebrate them together, since we’re such close friends, a dual celebration if you will. After getting up and waking up enough to be functional, I stepped outside my home, where the guys were sparring with each other.
“Heyyyyy, there he is.” Green called.
“I’m not falling for it again, Green.” Red–who was sparring with him–insisted.
“No, really, dude, SC’s finally up.” Green replied.
“I am… For the most part.” I said, yawning. Red turned around, Blue and Yellow also paused their fight.
“SC!” Red squeaked, his face turning hot pink. “Oh my gosh I- I-”
“No worries, Reddy Bear.” I said comfortingly. “Between us, I don’t trust Green during our matches either.”
“Now is that any way to talk about the birthday bro?” Green quipped. “Let alone your best friend, I mean, c’mon, man.”
“SC! Happy birthday, buddy!” Blue exclaimed, running up to me. Yellow was right behind him.
“¡Feliz cumpleaños, Mi amigo naranja!” Yellow added in his typical Spanish. “Y mi amigo verde también. To both of you, the most joyful of celebrations!”
“Happy birthday to my favorite fearless he-e-ro!” Red sang. “SC in Boots, and Green, the arrogant little legend.” He snickered.
“Thank you, thank you all.” I cried, holding back tears.
“Let’s get this birthday started the right way!” Blue proclaimed. “How’s about your favorite birthday breakfast?”
“Your delicious homemade pancakes?” Green wondered. Blue nodded yes.
“I’m always down for some of your cooking, Blue.” I said. “Make me a stack of four, please, topped with syrup and butter.”
“I’ll take five, doused in syrup and butter as well.” Green added, smirking. I glanced at him, there was no way I was gonna let him 1-up me like that.
“On second thought, Blue, make it six.” I insisted, shooting Green a look. He glared right back. “Drenched in syrup.”
“I’ll go for a stack of seven, dude.” Green piped up. “Smother it in syrup.”
“Make it eight.”
“Nine.”
“Ten!”
“Eleven!”
“Guys, guys, break it up!” Blue sighed, stepping between us. “You guys don’t have to 1-up each other in everything.”
“C’mon, Blue, I was enjoying that!” Red whined. “Plus, I wanted to see who could handle a Garfield-esque breakfast.” Upon hearing that, Green and I exchanged a “What are we doing?” look with each other.
“What is wrong with us?” I asked jokingly.
“I have no idea, dude.” Green laughed. We all got a laugh out of that.
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Green and I finished a delicious breakfast from Blue–You can’t get much better than his homemade pancakes and syrup–and were promptly told that the Tango family had a surprise for us in Minecraft. Yellow seemed to hype it up, claiming it was big.
“King required my staff for whatever he schemed.” Yellow explained. “None of us have any clue what it is, so if you believe you can interrogate us for information, you are mistaken.”
“Oh jeez, what do they have planned?” I wondered.
“Knowing the Tangos, it’s probably something big.” Blue figured.
“Oooooooh, I can’t wait to see it!” Red squealed. “Candy will be there, and I want to see her again! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
“Why not, dude?” Green shrugged. “What birthday surprise do they have for us? Only one way to find out!”
I couldn’t argue with that, though I felt butterflies in my stomach. I’ve always been hesitant toward new adventures, but I will be the first to admit that the adventures I’ve been on have brought me countless blessings. Meeting my best friends, that was my first adventure. Meeting my big brother Chosen, another adventure. Meeting my Tango family, one of my biggest adventures to date. Those stories will always have a special place in my heart.
We put our wings on, stepped through the old Nether portal and flew off, following the Primaries in the direction of King’s bastion. I still had no idea what to expect, but I tried to relax my nerves. The Tangos were friends, very close friends. Whatever they did, whatever they built, it was gonna be awesome, I kept telling myself.
Eventually, we arrived at the portal underneath the Parkour course. As we descended, I saw two of the three Tangos, King and Gold, Perrito, even Candy was there, all of them were waiting and waving for us to come down. We soon landed in front of them, and met their friendly faces.
“Kids!” King called. “Welcome!”
“Thanks, King.” Blue replied.
“And happy birthday, SC and Green!” King added.
“Yes, happy birthday!” Perrito proclaimed.
“Thanks, dudes.” Green said. Red noticed his striped friend and ran to meet her.
“Candy!” Red exclaimed, giving her a soft hug. “I’m so glad you could make it, Governor Foxington.” He smirked. “Or should I say, the Crimson Paw?”
“Good to see you too, Mr. Red Wolf.” Candy agreed. “Work at Tiger Tech has been hectic recently. I needed to get away, to breathe, and to see some great furry, medium friends again.” She snickered.
“I’m not a furry!” Red insisted. Candy just smiled, and Red couldn’t help but smile back.
“It still astounds me how you got a GF before I did, bro.” Green sighed. “I mean, I got more rizz, more charm, a brighter and calmer shade, a smooth singing voice-”
He couldn’t get any further before Candy zipped over to him and socked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Red followed it up with a solid punch to the back of the head, which brought Green to his knees.
“For one, she’s not my GF.” Red stated tersely.
“For two, I don’t appreciate anyone roasting my friends.” Candy added. “Understood?”
Green could do nothing but wheeze as the air returned to his lungs. Gold and Perrito were laughing as I bent down and helped him up.
“You OK, Green?” I asked.
“I’m good.” Green gasped. “Candy, dude, you can punch harder than I expected.”
“Speed kills.” Candy smirked. “And Red’s training as well.”
“Hey, where’s Purple?” Blue wondered.
“He’s dropping off a last-second gift for you, kids.” King explained. “Which reminds me… are you ready to see our gift for you?”
“Yes.” Green and I answered in unison. King smiled at us and stepped through the portal. Gold, Perrito, and Candy followed, and finally were Green and I. When the purple haze faded and we arrived in the Overworld, what I saw took my breath away. Before us was a massive stone brick structure that reached into the sky and was as wide as a mega mansion. I only imagined how long it took to build, and even Green was in awe about it.
“Green! SC!”
Purple’s voice broke me out of my trance and I saw him running toward us with arms open wide for a hug.
“Happy birthday, guys!” He exclaimed. We exchanged hugs with him.
“Thanks, Purple.” I said gratefully. “Now, what’s all this?” I gestured to the massive stone structure before us.
“Head inside to see!” He answered eagerly. “You’re gonna love it. Dad, Gold, Perrito and I poured our hearts into it.”
“I should’ve acknowledged that you possessed a paw in this project, Perrito.” Yellow observed. “No one else outside of Blue uses sunflowers so liberally when they decorate.”
“I love sunnies. That’s no secret.” Perrito shrugged. “They’re my favorite flower.”
“But what’s inside, homies?” Green wondered. “You’ve got to show us!”
“Follow us, kids.” King said. “Time for the tour to begin.”
“‘Tour’?” I repeated. Green and I exchanged a confused look with each other, but followed him and everyone else through a double door, and… Oh boy, if the building itself took my breath away, seeing what was inside nearly caused me, and even the Fighting Sticks, to pass out from lack of oxygen.
What was before all of us was… Well, us. There were massive displays of us throughout our time not only in Minecraft, but going as far back as when I first met my best friends. Somehow, King had recreated some of our fondest memories with each other in blocky form, and it took not only my breath away, but everyone else’s as well.
After a long moment, it was Green who was the first to find his voice.
“Whoa, dude…” He gasped. He’s not usually surprised by anything, but even I could tell he was in awe.
“What is this, King?” I squeaked.
“It’s you kids’ history with each other,” King explained, “all the way back to your very beginning, when your life with your friends started.”
“Look! Look!” Red squealed excitedly as he ran past us. “It’s us when we first met you, SC!”
“And gaze upon this display, mis amigos.” Yellow pointed out, seeing the display right after it. “It’s our primary encounter with Minecraft, and our initial skirmish within it.”
“Against… Her-Red-brine?” Candy wondered, reading a sign in front of it. “Reddy Bear? Well, actually, that kinda makes sense. Did Green flip a switch or something?”
“I got possessed by an evil spirit.” Red admitted. “Wouldn’t be the last time, either.”
“Trust us, we’ll get to that later.” Purrito explained, then in his Perrito voice, he added, “Oh, but no. This is your quest, I don’t want to impose…”
“You hold the map.” The two reds said in unison, snickering.
“Look! It’s when I discovered potions!” Blue exclaimed. Green joined him in front of a display of Blue snacking on Netherwart.
“Bro, is there anything you won’t put in your mouth?” Green quipped. “One of these days, you’re gonna poison yourself, dude.”
“Cease the mockery, Birthday Boy.” Yellow retaliated. “My bestie is very sensible, he would never inflict poison upon himself knowingly.”
“Guys, guys…” I said, breaking up their argument, “let’s just enjoy the tour. Clearly the Tangos–and Perrito–worked long and hard on this. Let’s appreciate this.”
The three of them nodded in agreement and King, Purple, and Gold led us through the first floor. It brought back some fond memories, and some painful ones. It brought us some enemies, and one future friend, that being Purple, though if you had told us we’d consider Purple a brother after what he pulled on Green and Blue, we would’ve not believed you, not in the slightest. I remembered the relief I felt when we made it home, and the joy we shared when we reunited. Those were good times…
The next floor was similar. It was the story of us, though King insisted it was more a story of me, especially when we got to when we got to Dark’s defeat and my awakened form. He called me a hero with regularity, and while I’m honored, I don’t like being thought of like that. I just want to be with my friends, my brothers. I don’t need to be a superhero, I don’t need titles, I just need my family. With them, I could never be happier.
We continued our tour, exploring more of our Minecraft adventures, including our biggest and most iconic, one we will cherish forever… One we call the Battle of Minecraft. Seeing it blew us all away, and I could tell King poured his heart out for it. It was so well-detailed and well told, and I’ll be honest, it brought tears to my eyes seeing some of the displays, including when I hurled the Minecraft Staff through the portal as the entire world was collapsing. I remembered how terrified I felt, one last Hail Mary… and it worked.
The guys, though, could tell something was amiss with me.
“You OK, SC?” Blue asked.
“I’m just remembering… everything…” I answered, wiping tears from my eyes. “I was so scared, I didn’t think I was going to survive, but… It’s all so incredible, reliving this. I don’t know how to describe it.”
“How about… ‘You guys, you’ve both made and ruined my day.’” Red guessed, drawing a smile out of me.
“Ayyyyy, Madagascar 3 reference!” Perrito called out, exchanging a high-five with Reddy Bear. I nodded, that was the perfect way to describe it, honestly.
“Need a moment, SC?” Gold asked.
“We have presents and cake downstairs.” Purple added.
“No, no, I can get it together.” I insisted, breathing deeply. “I have a feeling I know what’s next, King. Show it to me.”
Part 4: And Gift Giving (The Second Coming)[]
We were right in the middle of an epic ‘museum tour’ of sorts, led by King. He had recreated all of our most memorable adventures throughout the years and put them in one building, all for us to enjoy and relive. It was incredible, and so, so much, but I appreciated it greatly. It reminded me how much I’m loved, what I’ve done for my friends… and what they have done for me.
After finishing up the adventure where we met, fought, and forgave, King, the former monarch smiled warmly as he led us upstairs to the fourth floor. I figured as much, it was our most recent adventure, with Chosen, when we fought against Vic and the hunters. I still remember that day, mostly because of the revelations I discovered… My powers. Even though it’s been a while, it still amazes me that I have powers hiding dormant within me. As we gazed at the displays, Yellow and Blue walked up to me.
“SC, I desire to express my humble gratitude once more for rescuing me from our adversaries.” He said gratefully. “I fear what might’ve transpired if not for your intervention and heroism.”
“Not to mention you saved my bestie from bondage.” Blue added. “You’ll be forever in my debt for that.”
“Just having you two here is enough for me.” I insisted, glancing back at King. “King, this is our most recent big adventure, and yet, I noticed that there’s another floor. What else could you have built?”
“This top floor is more for the other birthday boy.” King explained.
“Me?” Green asked. “What did I- Oh wait…”
“You know it well, Green.” Purple teased. “I was there for it, remember?” Green sighed deeply.
“Yep. Let’s get it over with, boss…” He moaned.
We chuckled and headed upstairs. Up there held displays of some very vivid dreams me and the guys have had, all about math, physics, geometry, coding… even Blue’s nightmare involving addiction. That was wild when he first explained it to me. But what made this about Green was the centerpiece of it all: His experience as an influencer. It nearly ruined our friendship, and it probably would have if not for the one stick I knew could get through to him: Purple. I overheard the two of them talking in front of the displays.
“Purple… Homie… Thank you. I didn’t even realize I was becoming a different stick until you talked some sense into me.”
“I’m just thankful I could be there for you, just as you were there for me on that mountaintop.” Purple replied. “You know you have a special place in my heart, and you always will.”
“I would’ve lost my friends… my bros… if not for you.” Green observed. “I was such a scumbag to them…”
“Forgiveness knows no bounds.” Purple added. He then broke into a soft song, singing, “Forgiveness… was bought with…”
“The precious blood of Jesus Christ.” The two of them sang in unison. Green wiped tears from his eyes as I walked up to my secondary-colored counterparts.
“Never again, right, Green?” I asked.
“Never, boss.” He insisted, smiling. “Now I live for my faith and my homies.”
“Hey did you see the sign Perrito made?” Purple asked. Green and I didn’t, so we glanced at it, reading, “Sticks are like sunflowers… If the head gets too big, the body snaps under it.”
“What’s with him and sunflowers?” Green wondered.
“He has a green thumb, Green, and he loves gardening.” I explained. “Can’t fault him for having a hobby, can you?” Green shrugged and shook his head no.
“Well, SC, Green, that’s the tour!” King proclaimed. “What do you kids think?”
“I’m honored, King. Thank you.” I said. “Deeply, thank you.”
“You’re a hero, SC!” Gold exclaimed. “It’s the least we could do.” I rolled my eyes.
“Fine, fine, I’ll wear the ‘hero’ moniker, but only for today since it’s my birthday.” I conceded.
“And you, Green?” King wondered.
“Well… The best way I can convey my thoughts is… how else? A song.” Green began. “Purple, care to join me on backup vocals?”
“Absolutely, buddy.”
Green pulled out a Note Block and began playing and singing, Purple did so along with him as backup.
“All I can do, all I can do, all I can do… Is say, ‘Thank you.’”
His singing voice is beautiful, though Green already knows that well. He prides himself for it, just like everything else, but of all the things he’s great at, I think I like his musical ability the best. He sang those lyrics a couple more times, bringing King to tears. After finishing, Green played a few more notes before stopping, garnering applause from the rest of us.
“I love that song, Green.” Purrito said.
“It seemed fitting.” Green smirked. “Well, boss, that’s all I can say and do…”
“You’re welcome, kids.” King replied. “Happy birthday to you both!”
“Hey, there are presents downstairs.” Gold exclaimed. “You two want to open some gifts?”
Green and I looked at each other and smiled.
“Yes!” We exclaimed in unison.
“Perfect. There’s a door over here leading to a slime trampoline.” King said, gesturing to a door on the other side of the room. “Call it a quick exit. It’ll lead to the party area faster.”
“Birthday boys first!” Gold exclaimed, running over to the door. We all followed, and Perrito took a glance at the potential drop.
“Nope.” He said abruptly. “I’m taking the stairs, thanks.”
“Hey, Perrito, I’ll race you down.” Candy teased.
“Striped speed vs. Light elemental?” Perrito wondered, lighting up his paws. “You’re not gonna beat me.”
“Let’s find out.” Candy smirked.
As the two of them bolted, the rest of us, one at a time, jumped onto a large square of slime blocks. It was a lot of fun, bouncing around with my friends, and nearby, there was the party area, overflowing with presents, bright decorations, cake… and Perrito’s flowers, of course. It was lovely, and Perrito and Candy soon arrived, bickering with each other as to who won their little race. We broke them up when we said that there was cake and ice cream.
We broke out the cake, Perrito lit the candles by focusing his light powers into a laser that sparked them, and Green sang his special remix of Happy Birthday for us two.
“Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to the both of us,
Happy birthday dear Green and SC!”
My friends applauded us as we blew out the candles. King served up the cake and ice cream and we all indulged. It was delicious, a nice simple vanilla cake for me and molten lava cake for Green. King explained how hard that was to make, but it was worth it for the smiles on all our faces.
“Hey, what can I say? I’m extra in all the best ways.” Green smirked.
“You’re extra in EVERY way, Green.” Red pointed out. “But you’ll always be our favorite arrogant little legend.”
“Gee, thanks.” Green said sarcastically.
“And then the Legend, SC in Boots!” Red proclaimed, lifting a bucket of milk as if making a toast. “He is our favorite fearless hero! Our leader, our big brother, our hero. We love you, SC!”
“Happy birthday, Green and SC!” Blue exclaimed.
“¡Feliz cumpleaños!” Yellow added. “To the Secondary pair.”
“I hope you like your celebration!” Purple proclaimed. “It’s all for a hero.”
“I do, I am… overwhelmed. But I do appreciate all you’ve done for us. Thank you all.” I replied gratefully.
“Hey, it’s not over yet!” Gold squealed. “You have to open your gifts!”
There was a pile of presents nearby, all wrapped in bright wrapping paper and with labels reading either my name or Green’s, along with whom the gifts were from. One by one, we took turns unwrapping presents, and I must say, we got a great haul. I got a new pillow–super soft, it felt like a cloud–noise-cancelling headphones, a smoothie recipe book–I do love my smoothies–an orange Pat Surtain II jersey, among other things. Green also made out like a bandit, finding a copy of a semi-old game called Just Shapes and Beats, a green Micah Parsons jersey along with tickets to a Packers game in Green Bay, Sticksconsin, and a silverfish. That last one was from Red, a troll gift before presenting him his real gift.
“Sorry, Green, I couldn’t resist.” Red snickered. “I still have that picture of you getting mobbed by your ‘fans’ as my phone wallpaper.”
“Ha ha, you’re a riot, homie.” Green quipped as he handed Red the silverfish. “Non-stop roasting on my b-day.”
“First time?” Perrito asked, laughing.
“Hey, it’s all in fun.” Red insisted. “Anywho, Candy hooked me up with this one. Thanks again, Candy Softpaws, I’m in your debt.”
“Of course, Red in Boots.” Candy replied. “What are medium friends for, huh?”
Green unwrapped his gift, which was inside a small box, but when he saw what was inside, his eyes lit up with excitement.
“No way, a new Bengal 17 phone?” He gasped. Candy runs a tech company called Tiger Tech, and “Bengal” is the branding of Tiger Tech’s smartphones. Imagine an iPhone that Alan has or Yellow’s Naval laptop from Orange, Bengals are kinda like the iPhones we use, not travel into.
“Yep, and I asked Candy to design it to your tastes.” Red answered.
“It’s our most advanced model to date.” Candy proclaimed proudly. “Meant to adapt to the user’s tastes, usage, history, all that. My team and I have already infused it with several music apps, including Stickify, Orange Music, even our patented Tiger Tunes.”
“Dang, dude, very impressive.” Green nodded as he powered his new phone on. “But do you have every sports app imaginable on it?”
“It has the major ones, and our own Striped Sports and Ferocious Fantasy.” Candy answered. “Everything you need, except enhanced with our Actually Intelligent Artificial Intelligence. Our A-I-A-I, as we call it.”
“I still prefer ‘Aye-Aye,’ mostly because aye-ayes are SO CUTE!” Red gushed. “Have you seen one?”
“No, I have not.” Candy replied.
“Probably for the best.” Yellow admitted. “I do not share the same level of enthusiasm about them with Reddy Bear.”
“Compromise and call it, ‘ayyyyyyyyyyyy.’” Perrito suggested. “Does the ‘A-I’ blend even say ‘aye’? Like, I know it says, ‘ayy,’ but ‘aye’?”
“It does, yes.” Yellow confirmed. “Ever heard a haiku about the chai aisle in a supermarket?”
“Of course, duh.” Perrito said. “I should’ve known that. So I guess it could be called ‘aye-aye.’”
“Whatever you call it… It’s sick, dude. Thank you.” Green said gratefully. “How can I repay you?”
“Maybe stop shipping me and Candy for… some period of time.” Red suggested. We got some laughs out of that.
“Then stop calling yourself ‘Mr. Red Wolf’ and ‘Crimson Paw,’ or ‘Red in Boots’ and ‘Candy Softpaws.’” Perrito suggested. “How is a DreamWorks nerd like me supposed to not ship you guys?”
“Can’t, I have too much fun making him a furry.” Candy teased. “Besides, Foxington and Softpaws are awesome and no one will convince me otherwise. Not as awesome as Master Tigress, but still…”
“I can still kick your butt in our sparring matches, Candy.” Red teased back. “You might say… I’m still the best.”
Candy smiled and took a jab at Red’s midsection, but Red deflected her swipe.
“Anyway… there’s one gift left.” Purple proclaimed, pulling out a large box wrapped in paper that was multiple shades of pink and purple. “I’m sure you can guess who this is from.”
“Magenta.” We all said in unison.
“Yep.” Purple confirmed. “And before you guys open it, Maggie wanted me to share something with you all.”
Purple pulled out his phone, set it on the table, and gave it a tap. He had opened his messages app, his text conversation with Maggie, and began playing a text that she recorded for us.
“Hi, Purple and friends and family!” Her voice proclaimed. “And happy birthday, SC and Green! I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in person, school has been really busy for me, but to make up for it, I got you two something I found online. Yes, it’s for both of you to enjoy, and knowing you two–two of the best and most creative Minecraft builders I know–I have a feeling you’re gonna love this. Have fun with it, and I wish you two the happiest of birthdays from Stick City Art College, SC and Green!
“Love you all! Especially you, Prince, my sweetheart. I’ll see you guys soon!” Her voice text ended with that.
“Aww, that was nice of her.” I said after her message ended and Purple put his phone away.
“Well, I guess we have to share this, dude.” Green pointed out to me. “Care to open it with me?”
“Of course.”
It was a big enough box so that we could open it from each half and meet in the middle. As we ripped the paper off, I could feel the excitement welling up inside me. It was big, it was exciting, and it was…
“No way…” I squeaked. “Is that… A LEGO Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer?”
“It is, homie!” Green answered. “IT IS! OH MY GOSH I LOVE STAR WARS!”
“And building.” I chuckled. “Purple, tell Magenta ‘Thank you’ for me.”
“And me as well, bro.” Green insisted eagerly. Purple smiled and nodded. “How did she know?”
“How do you think?” Purple smirked. “You’re my best friend, Green. I gave her a few ideas of things that you’d like.”
“This must’ve cost a pretty penny.” I observed.
“Her business is… doing well, shall we say.” Purple elaborated. “I’m so proud of her.”
“As you should be, Purple.” Candy agreed. “Take it from me, it’s not easy, and she has my respect.”
“Green, we should start building this when we get back home.” I said.
“And encase it in glass, so that it doesn’t break.” Green agreed. “We all know how violent we can be.”
“No doubt about that… homie.” I confirmed. Green winced.
“Don’t say that again, dude. It’s cringe.”
“Whatever, Green.” I rolled my eyes. “Hey, bring it in, brother.” I held my arms out, open wide for a hug. Green smiled and wrapped his arms around me.
“Happy birthday, bestie.” I said to him, tears filling my eyes. “I love you, Green.”
“Happy birthday, bro!” Green replied. “I love you too, Second Coming.”
“Awww, bring it in, everyone!” Red insisted. I felt him embrace us, and everyone else was soon to follow.
“Happy birthday, Green and SC!” Everyone said in unison.
I wiped my eyes. The whole thing was so overwhelming, but I loved every second of it. Being able to celebrate my birthday with my friends, my dearest friends, my family, there is practically nothing I enjoy more. We celebrated with each other most of the day, until the FSF and I headed home and bid Candy, Perrito, and the Tangos farewell. I thought the festivities were over.
I was wrong.
When the FSF and I returned to ALANSPC, we noticed Alan had opened Adobe Animate, and had written something in it.
“SC, look!” Red exclaimed. “Alan wrote something for you!”
“Oh?” I asked. “What?”
“It’s… Awww, how sweet.” Blue said after running ahead of us. Green, Yellow, and I followed and I got to see what he wrote.
“Happy birthday, little buddy.” Alan’s message said. “I hope you enjoy it with your friends.”
“Awww, thanks, Alan.” I sighed.
“Well, SC?” Yellow wondered. “Have you enjoyed the celebration of another rotation around the center of our solar system?”
“I have, yes.” I confirmed.
“We have, homie, yes.” Green agreed. “Because we spent it… with all of you.”
THE END