The Prodigal

Following the events of Magenta, the Stick Gang decides to speedrun Minecraft in two teams while the Tango family is vacationing together. However, during the Gang's speedrun, one member comes across a stick figure, one long believed to be dead, who is desperate to get home. His quest to get back will change the lives of both the Tango family members forever.

Chapter 1: The Plan (The Second Coming)

I woke up late and to my surprise, everything seemed normal. Living with the Fighting Stick Figures, you never know what to expect on any given day, but the guys were somewhat quiet, practicing their fighting with each other in Alan’s photoshop window. I rubbed my somewhat tired eyes and looked up at them. It’s so great seeing them having fun together and I felt compelled to join them. I climbed up into the window.

“Guys! Guys!” I called, waving. They ceased their sparring match and ran over to me.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Green joked.

“He’s finally up, Yellow! Can we do our plan now?” Red begged.

“Sure thing, Reddy Bear.” Yellow answered gently.

“What’s your plan?” I asked, a little worried.

“We were waiting for you to wake up so that we could do something together,” Blue explained. “Beating Minecraft.” This gave me thought.

“You know, you’re right.” I noted. “How have we had access to the game for so long and not done that together yet?”

“Well, Blue and I were close,” Green said, “and we would’ve killed it if Purple was in his right mind at the time.”

“Oh dang, I forgot about that.” Red replied.

“It sounds like fun.” I figured. “Speaking of, is Purple joining us?”

“Did Green not tell you?” Blue responded. “He’s out of town.”

“I might’ve forgotten.” I considered that as a possibility.

“You remember how distraught he was after Magenta left for college.” Yellow elaborated. “King thought it would be good for the two of them to get away while the weather was still warm.”

“So it’ll just be us five, the OG’s.” Green added. “Care to join us, SC?”

“Do I have a choice? There are a million ways this could go wrong…”

“Aww, c’mon, SC! Pleeeeeease?” Red begged. I sighed reluctantly.

“You’ve been watching too much The Last Wish. Fine, I’m in.” I conceded.

“Yes!” Blue said, pumping his fist in celebration.

“Let’s venture forth, brethren!” Yellow proclaimed. The rest of us followed.

We grabbed a few supplies, mostly just enough to create a new Nether Portal, and returned to the Nether. However, instead of heading in the direction of King’s old bastion, we headed in the opposite direction, hoping to find a new world. Once we got seemingly far enough away, we built a new portal and stepped through it. We appeared in the middle of a wintery, snow-covered spruce forest. ‘Perfect.’ I thought. ‘Enough wood to last a lifetime, if needed.’

“Alright, guys, any extra stuff in your inventories?” Yellow asked. We all emptied our pockets of Minecraft items and dumped it all into a pile. Yellow blocked the Nether portal we came from with cobblestone and burned the rest of the stuff with a flint and steel, including the flint and steel he used. We stomped the fire out once everything was gone.

“OK, then. We’re starting from scratch. Nothing in our inventories, no way to return to the Nether through this portal.” Blue summarized.

“Sooo, are we all just gonna try beating Minecraft together?” I asked.

“Well, I was thinking we could split into teams and see who can beat the game faster.” Green suggested.

“I like that idea.” Red agreed. “What should teams be?”

“Well, SC and Green should be team captains.” Yellow explained. “Those two on the same team together are overpowered, even if it would be just the two of them.” The other Primaries nodded in agreement, and I had to agree as well.

“Fair enough, but what will the teams be?” Blue asked. “One of them is going to have an extra member. Who’s gonna have the first pick?”

“I have an idea.” Yellow replied. “I’m thinking of a number between-”

“NO!” Red, Blue, Green and I interrupted him at the same time.

“What?” Yellow asked defensively.

“The last time you did that, you came up with something stupid.” Red protested. “What was it? I can’t remember…”

“The square root of 75, I think.” I recalled.

“Hey, that’s a number between one and 10, is it not?” Yellow fired back.

“Bro, most normal people come up with a whole number, like one, or two, or seven.” Green retaliated sarcastically. “You, however, come up with something irrational. Who does that?”

“Seriously buddy, can you come up with an equation that involves the square root of 75?” Blue asked rhetorically.

“The square root of 75 equals five radical three.” Yellow answered, smirking. “I still see nothing wrong with that.”

“I don’t see anything right with it.” Red muttered. “What even is the square root of 75 anyway?”

“8.66025403-” Yellow began before getting interrupted.

“It was a rhetorical question, Yellow!” Red snapped. “It was also metaphorical, poetic and theoretical.”

“Guys, guys, we’re burning sunlight.” I said, trying to reel in this argument. “I have a coin. It’s not Minecraft related, so it won’t be able to help us.” I dug a coin out of my pocket. “Green, call it in the air.” I flipped it.

“Tails.”

I caught it and slapped it into my wrist. Sure enough, it was tails.

“Yes! Tails never fails!” Green exclaimed.

“You get first pick, Green.” I said. “Who’s your choice?”

“I want… Yellow.” Green decided after a pause. The lemon-lime duo clasped their hands together in a sort of brotherly handshake. After his selection, it was my turn. ‘Blue or Red? Blue or Red?’ I thought.

“Your turn, bro.” Green said tauntingly.

“I know, I know.” I replied. “I’ll take… Red as my partner.” Red looked surprised, but honored as well. He stepped over to me and we hugged each other.

“I’m surprised you picked me, SC.” Red admitted.

“They say opposites attract.” I elaborated. “Plus, with our combined fighting ability, that Ender Dragon is gonna die just by looking at us coming for it.”

“I won’t let you down.” Red promised.

“I know you won’t, little bro.”

“Alrighty, Blue, you ready to join the winning team?” Green asked.

“As long as we get victory Netherwart at the end of this.” Blue answered, strolling over to them. He and Yellow high-fived, and then Yellow stepped out in front of them, between the two groups of us.

“OK, gentlemen, the goal is to be the first team to take down the Ender Dragon first.” He explained. “Any and all resources are accessible/usable to us, however, there will be no stealing from the other team’s chests, barrels, etc. Be sure to label all chests/structures in some way, else they will be seen as fair game, no different than chests in a village, a dungeon, or buried treasure. Chests inside a labeled base are assumed part of the base and thus belong to that team. Also, no helping the other team with builds, fortresses, etc., basically no tampering, be it positive or negative. You all recall the last time that happened.” Blue and I shuddered, remembering the time we each accidentally killed Green over a build.

Yellow continued, “I hope this doesn’t need to be said, but that includes killing each other. No killing each other. Other than those simple rules, everything is fair game. Any weird strategy, technique, and otherwise is on the table, just so long as you don’t help or hurt the opposing team. Teammates may share resources, chests, and the like with each other, but not the opposition. Finally, the team that lands the final blow on the Ender Dragon wins. There are golden trophies waiting for us when we get home. Are there any questions?”

Silence.

“Excellent!” Yellow returned to his team, flanking Green on one side. Blue flanked Green’s other side.

“You’re going down, bro.” Green said coldly, staring me directly in the eyes.

“I’d like to see you try.” I replied tersely. Red scowled at them, clenching his fists.

“Is everyone ready?” Yellow asked. We all nodded, confirming Yellow’s question. “Excellent. On my mark. 3… 2… 1… GO!”

With Yellow’s proclamation of “GO!,” the game was on.

Chapter 2: The Competition Begins (Red)

After Yellow shouted, “GO!,” the race to slay the dragon began. SC and I bolted in one direction, Green, Yellow, and Blue took off in the other. I raced to the nearest tree, and SC followed me. I broke a block as quickly as possible, while SC took on the role of builder/crafter. I tossed him my logs and he assembled a crafting table, followed by an ax. After I chopped the entire tree, not an easy task considering it was a 2x2 tree, SC was already a few blocks below ground, digging up some stone.

“You got us a furnace, SC?” I called down. SC raced back up his stairs, cobblestone in hand.

“Yeah, I just need to assemble it.” He put it together on the crafting table and pocketed it.

“OK, SC, what’s the plan?” I asked.

“I think the quickest method is getting buckets.” SC explained. “We can make a portal underwater with lava buckets since lava and water make obsidian. From there, we can get ourselves enough Blaze rods to power all of Blue’s brewing stands.”

“Sounds like a plan. Soooo… shall we dig? Look for a cave?”

“We might be able to find some ingots or something of use in a village. Let’s go!” He grabbed his crafting table and took off.

“Right behind ya!” I followed. “We might be able to find some food.”

“We’re in a forest, Red. We’re surrounded by food sources.”

“Maybe for you, but I’m not harming these poor creatures.” My stomach churned at the thought.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” SC admitted sheepishly.

“You’re partnered up with a vegetarian.” I stated bluntly. ‘Aside from some fish I had a while back, but that was before I became vegetarian.’ I thought. “If you find any berries, let me know.”

“Got it.”

I liked the idea of finding a village. It was a great source of both food and potential resources. Luckily for us, it wasn’t long before we stumbled upon one and we raided it for anything useful. I found a few loaves of bread and hay bales, which I grabbed, along with the vegetables in the fields. After gathering stuff, SC met me in the middle of the village.

“Anything useful?” He asked.

“Nothing outside of food, saplings, and whatnot.” I confessed. “Nothing groundbreaking.”

“Same.” SC said melancholily. “You ever wonder why these village chests barely ever have any useful stuff in them?”

“Not until now.” I answered.

“Probably a game mechanic the more I think of it.” SC theorized. “Speaking of games, it’s getting dark.”

“Let me chop down one more tree.” I insisted, spinning my ax in my hand like the Wolf spinning his sickles.

“Go ahead.”

As I climbed and chopped the tree down, I saw something in the distance. ‘Is that… a cave?’ I thought. ‘It might be a perfect place to set up camp and find some iron.’ I chopped the tree underneath me and reported my sighting to SC.

“SC, I found a cave over there!” I exclaimed, pointing. “We might be able to find some iron in there.”

“Lead the way, Reddy Bear.”

As the sun set, I let SC through the dense forest toward the cave. As we reached the mouth of the cave, SC placed his furnace and threw some wood logs into it. As they cooked, he made me a stone sword and I went on the hunt around the cave entrance. ‘Some string and arrows would be helpful,’ I figured. After killing a few spiders and skeletons, gathering enough string for a bow along with a few arrows, SC called me over. I joined him inside the cave.

“What’s up, SC?”

“I made us torches.” He handed me some. “We can explore deeper into this cave.”

“Perfect. I got string and arrows. Do we have enough sticks for a bow?”

“I got some left over from when I was making us tools.” SC handed me his sticks and I made a bow. He picked up the furnace and crafting table.

“Alrighty, we’re all set. Let’s go.” SC said.

I followed SC deeper into the cave. I couldn’t find anything outside of stone, and SC was also quite confused.

“It looks like this cave has been raided already.” SC noted. “That’s odd. Do you think the others were here before us?”

“I don’t know, but I kinda doubt it.” I answered. “I mean, how could they have gotten here before us? Especially since we haven’t seen a trace of them since this morning.”

“Then explain these random gaps in the walls, the ceiling.”

“What do I look like? Yellow?”

“Kinda, yeah, just a different color.” SC said, snickering. I shot him a look. “Anyway, I suspect someone’s been here. There’s no way a cave this big could-”

SC paused in the middle of his sentence. I caught up to him and discovered that we had reached the end of the cave. There were no other paths, and we had crossed none of our friends. We had just been unlucky enough to have stumbled upon the most barren cave I have ever seen… and I was the one to suggest it.

“SC… I’m sorry… I feel like I just led us on a wild goose chase. Who knows how far ahead Green, Yellow, and Blue are now.”

“It’s OK, Red. You couldn’t have known, but it is quite odd how there’s nothing here.”

“Odd or not, we need to make up for lost time.” I said, determined. “Let’s find another cave and loot it. It should be daylight by now.”

“Agreed. Let’s go, and quickly.”

SC slipped past me and climbed back up. I started to follow, but I slipped off a block and stumbled. I extended my arms to break my fall and felt something on a block of stone. It felt like… a button, and as I gathered myself, I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and it looked like nothing had changed, but I could’ve sworn I heard something, the pushing and pulling of pistons behind me. I may not have Yellow’s Redstone knowledge, but he has taught me enough to know what a piston sounds like.

“SC…?” I called shakily.

“Yeah, Red?”

“There may be more to this cave than meets the eye.”

I felt around where I put my hand, trying to find the button I pressed. It must’ve been made of stone or something, because it was well camouflaged in the stone surrounding it. As I searched, SC arrived.

“What are you looking for, Red?”

“A button… I think. I tripped and I felt my hand press… something. I also heard pistons behind me… I think…”

“You might be hearing things, Red.” SC said. “I mean, look. It’s a solid stone wall.”

“I know I heard something, I know it.” I insisted. I finally felt something, a small shape jutting out of a block. “Aha! I found it!” I pressed it hard and turned around. Sure enough, my suspicions were correct. A secret entrance was hidden behind the wall, a staircase that led into deep darkness. “Yes! I was right!” I pumped my fist in celebration.

“This is just getting weirder and weirder. This isn’t in a normal, untouched Minecraft world.” SC realized. “Is someone else here? Are you guys pranking me?”

“SC, I promise you, this is not a prank, and if it is, I know nothing about it.” I confessed. “I know I’m a bit of a mischief maker, but this isn’t me! I swear!”

“Red, Red, relax, buddy. I believe you.” SC said gently. “But… if it’s not you, who made this?”

“This Redstone contraption has Yellow written all over it, but I can’t imagine he’s been here before we have. We all were there when Yellow made the portal leading here. and as far as I know, none of us have been here before.” I broke the blocks, opening up a perfect stairway leading down into the darkness.

“And Purple and King have been out of town…” SC theorized. “Who could it be?”

“Why don’t we find out?” I suggested, gesturing into the stairway.

“Ohhhhh no! Absolutely not! Who knows what’s down there?” SC protested.

“C’mon, SC? Aren’t you curious?” I asked.

“No. We’re not doing this again, Red. C’mon, let’s get back to the surface while it’s still light out.”

“SC, what’s the big deal? There could be someone else down there, another stick figure like us.”

“I doubt that. This cave is probably empty anyway. Besides, why would there be someone down there? Other than mobs that could kill us.”

“Really, SC? You’re concerned about basic mobs?” I replied skeptically. “You remember we used mobs to fight each other. You clocked a Creeper in the face and killed it. These basic mobs are nothing compared to us.”

“I said no, and that’s final.” SC countered. “Now let’s go before we lose too much sunlight.” He started climbing back up toward the mouth of the cave. I reluctantly followed, but stopped part-way up.

‘I’m sorry, SC, but I’m not a little kid any more, and you’re not my dad.’ I thought. ‘There could be someone down there, and I’m helping them.’

I crept back down, deeper into the cave, making sure to keep quiet so that SC didn’t find me and drag me back. As I descended, I remembered Purple, how I saw him moping at the portal that led to the Parkour course. Even if Blue claims he started it, it was I who began that chain of events that resulted in the Battle for Minecraft when I convinced the others to follow Purple into the Parkour portal. Regardless, if not for that decision, we wouldn’t have found two great friends, Purple might not have found a father, nor King a son, and Minecraft might no longer be in existence. Even despite the turmoil we endured, it had a happy ending. That’s what I was focusing on as I equipped a torch and stepped through the open door into the unknown, the darkness, the mystery of this secret passage.

Chapter 3: The Emperor (Red)

I slowly stepped down the stairs, torch in one hand and stone sword in the other, but what I found surprising about this entire thing was the lack of torches. The passageway was pitch black, it was as if no one had ever explored it before. Either that or they didn’t want anyone to explore it for whatever reason. Nonetheless, the unknown has never scared me, and my curiosity was through the roof. Best case scenario, I figured, I find whoever made this tunnel. Worst case scenario, I cost SC some valuable time. Considering this was only a game, I thought it was worth it if it meant possibly helping someone who needed it, like Purple.

Deeper and deeper down the stairs I ventured, not finding anything useful, not even a coal ore. Perhaps SC was right, the entire cave was barren, devoid of anything other than stone and deepstone. Regardless, I continued going deeper and deeper down the stairs, around some curves until I finally reached the end, and what I saw with the light of my torch floored me.

Standing before me was a massive fortress made entirely of deepstone in an even more massive cave. It looked like an actual castle, like ones used during Medieval times, complete with tall walls, turrets, even gaps in the walls for sniping. I was in awe, but after the shock wore off, a thought came to mind.

‘Who built this?’

Gigantic castles like this one I have never seen before, and I have been mining in deep caves before. This was clearly made by man, by someone, but who? I still hadn’t seen a trace of Yellow, Green, or Blue, but I couldn’t fathom anyone else here, so I took my shot.

“Yellow?” I called. “Green? Blue?”

There was no response. Even weirder, there seemed to be no light source. Whoever built this castle was clearly fine with mobs swarming it and spawning within it, unless there were light sources inside. I slowly approached the entrance, my sword at the ready. It was a huge square doorway lined with gold blocks and blocked by iron bars. I gave it a closer look. There was no trace of any of my friends, no signs, no clear indication that any of them had been here. I placed some torches around to light my path, pulled out my pickaxe, and broke the iron bars. I stepped inside and looked around, quickly finding myself some chests underneath a single torch.

“Jackpot!” I said to myself, racing over to the chests. I hoped to find some materials in them, and I didn’t just find materials, I found stacks and stacks of iron and gold ingots, diamonds, various food supplies, and a bunch of other stuff. I gasped, but I wasn’t about to turn this stuff down. I grabbed all the stuff I could carry in my inventory and was about to leave, but when I turned, I was met by a couple of zombies.

“I’m surprised I didn’t come across you sooner,” I joked, pulling my sword out. The zombies looked at each other and nodded, themselves pulling their own swords out. This caught me off-guard, but I am not one to back down from a fight. I leapt at the zombies and we clashed swords, and I’ll admit, their fighting skills were surprisingly good. After a short tussle, I was able to take them down, and they each disappeared with a poof.

“OK…” I said wearily. “That was a little weird. I’d better get out while I still can.” I bolted out of the opening in the iron bars, but immediately found myself surrounded by skeletons, zombies, spiders, and Creepers on every side of me, even behind me. There must’ve been dozens of each type of them, and as much as I wanted to fight, I quickly realized that, if two zombies by themselves gave me a rough fight, I couldn’t stand against this many mobs, especially with nothing more than a stone sword and my fists. I slowly put my sword onto the ground, emptied my inventory of all the stuff I stole and raised my arms in surrender.

‘How embarrassing.’ I thought. ‘Having to concede to mere Minecraft mobs. I’m glad the guys aren’t here to see this. They would never let me hear the end of it.’

Two of the zombies looked at each other and then stepped toward me. They didn’t seem interested in fighting or killing me, but instead waved their arms, gesturing for me to follow them. I was bewildered, absolutely gobsmacked, but decided to follow them anyway. Not like I had much other choice, as I was completely outnumbered. They led me deeper and deeper into the castle. I’ve never been surrounded by so much blackness before in my life. I found it amazing that these zombies knew their way around. Eventually, they led me to a massive, dimly lit room and stood me in front of a massive staircase leading up into darkness. They shoved me in the back, forcing me to my knees. The zombies too dropped to their knees in some sort of reverence. I got the sense we were kneeling in front of a monarch of some sorts. I then heard a voice I didn’t recognize coming from the top of the stairs. It was deeper than mine, but then again, my voice hasn’t cracked yet.

“Ah, my zombies.” The voice thundered. Was he in league with the mobs? “What is this that you have brought me?”

The zombies rose and grunted in an incomprehensible language. Somehow, this voice understood it.

“A stealing… stick figure?” The voice questioned. “That’s impossible. There are no stick figures here. Direct the light toward this offering.”

‘Offering?’ I thought. ‘Was I to be sacrificed to… whoever this was?’

The dim light was moved closer to me. A couple of torches were set several blocks away. I could see the flames flickering, though I could not see whoever was talking to me.

“Who are you?” The voice asked.

“Forgive me… Sir…” I squeaked out. “My name is Red, and if I had known this castle belonged to someone, I would never have raided it! I promise!”

“What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“I accidentally found a button revealing a secret passage. I followed it down here.”

“No, not that. How did you get here? Inside the game?” the voice asked. I was confused, but I was willing to answer.

“My friends and I… we have access to the master block. We used that to create a couple of Nether portals that get us to anywhere we want.”

“Hmm… Interesting…”

“Who, if I may ask, are you?” I asked.

“Who am I?” the voice scoffed. “I am the emperor of these caves, and I don’t take kindly to thieves trying to pilfer my hard-earned resources. Zoe, Zach, take our friend here to the prison until I figure out what to do with him. Let him think about what he has done.”

The two zombies nodded.

“And don’t forget to loot him.” the voice added. “No doubt he has a pickaxe, materials, something on him. No one would go caving without them.”

“Wait, what?” I asked. Before I could say anything else, the zombies grabbed me and one of them slung me over their shoulder like a backpack. I tried fighting back, but no matter my punches, kicks, and flailing didn’t seem to affect it, nor did my cries of, “Let me go! Stop! Please!” I was taken into an even more dimly lit room and slammed against a wall. One zombie pinned me, another ravaged my inventory, taking my tools, food, and the various materials I had. Once everything on mine was gone, I was tossed into the prison cell, a small room blocked with iron bars, the only way in being a one-sided iron door. I quickly scrambled to my feet and banged at the bars.

“Please! There’s been a mistake! Have mercy! Please!” I begged. The zombies said nothing, instead walking away into the darkness. A skeleton replaced them, serving as the bodyguard. I tried punching the iron bars, the door, but all I got were banged up and sore hands. ‘Ow, my knuckles!’ I thought. I quickly realized there was no escaping this tomb I found myself in and… succumbed to my emotions.

I dropped to my knees and broke down in tears, weeping uncontrollably. “This is the end.” I cried silently to myself. “I’m never gonna see my friends, my family, Candy… ever again. SC, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I should’ve listened to you and left when I had the chance. I know you have my best interest at heart, and from now on, I promise I’ll listen to you more.”

I don’t know how much time passed. It could’ve been multiple Minecraft days and I wouldn’t have known, but what I do know is this: I felt an iron bucket filled with water hit me on the head, followed by a loaf of bread. I looked up, but couldn’t see anyone in the dim light. I uncertainly took them, ate, and drank.

“Who… Who gave me this?”

“I did, the emperor.” The emperor’s voice said. I couldn’t see him through the darkness, but I knew he was close. “I’ve been giving it thought, and I figured you could be useful to me.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’ve been trying to escape this game for a long time, and seeing you, a fellow stick figure, you had to have come here in some way.”

“Fellow stick figure? You’re a stick figure too?”

“What’d you think I was? A player?”

“I assumed.” I admitted. “I’ve met players in the game before.”

“No matter. I may be a ruthless emperor, but I do not believe you would’ve stolen my materials if you knew I was here.”

“I wouldn’t have. I promise!” I raised my hand as if making a promise. “I swear! I-” He cut me off.

“Stop with the blubbering and listen to me.”

“I’m listening.” I squeaked.

“I will let you go, only if you show me how you got here. Perhaps you can help me get home.”

“Home? Where’s your home?”

“The Outernet. Are you familiar with it?” The emperor asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been there before.”

“Excellent. My demands are simple: I free you, and you take me back. Do we have a deal?” I didn’t have much of a choice, as he had not only the numbers, somehow managing to get the mobs on his side, but I was also locked in a cell. I had no choice.

“We have a deal.” I decided not to say anything more, anything about the other members of the Gang. I wasn’t sure how he would react to meeting them, and I didn’t want to put their lives in jeopardy, either.

“Good, but don’t you dare double cross me, else you can meet my blade.” He whipped out a gleaming diamond sword that reflected the dim light into my eyes. I shielded my face. “I call her Diane, and you don’t want to see her when she’s angry.”

“Yes, sir. I promise I won’t backstab you, but before you release me, I have to know… Who are you?”

“Bring the light closer, boys.” The light slowly grew more powerful, and I could eventually see his color. He was a stick figure, just as he said he was, a bit older than me, and a shade of yellow. He wasn’t as bright a shade as Yellow, but I wouldn’t consider him a “dark yellow,” either. He was somewhere in between, like a mustard yellow of sorts. His shade looked vaguely familiar, though I couldn’t tell where I’ve seen it before. I decided it wasn’t important.

“My name is AU.” He said coldly. “Now get moving. I have a home to get back to.” He stepped on the pressure plate, opening the door of my prison.

“Yes, sir.” I stepped out and he led me out of the castle.

Chapter 4: Rescuing Red

The Second Coming

I led Red up toward the surface, or so I thought the entire time I made my trek out of the cave. As I climbed, I eventually saw the mouth of the cave, somewhat shocked that Red had been so quiet for so long. I figured he would’ve been whining or complaining about me shooting him down.

“Red, I’m surprised you’ve been so quiet.” I said over my shoulder. “I thought you would’ve been a lot more-” I paused when I turned around and saw no one there. “-frustrated…” I finished. I could feel my blood boil, a mixture of anger and despair welling up within me. Red disobeyed me again, and now who knows where he is? He could be in mortal danger, and he was under my watch.

“What am I gonna do with this kid?” I asked myself, racing down the cave. I knew where he went: down that passage I explicitly told him not to go down. His adventurous nature is one thing I love about him, but it also drives me crazy at the same time. I approached the entrance and was surprised to see no torches placed. I equipped my own torch and followed the stairs down into the darkness. I rounded curves, looking for any more clues as to where Red went. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait long to find my biggest clue.

I finally reached the end of the passage and found myself in front of a massive deepslate fortress, several torches leading to the entrance. I figured Red was in there somewhere, and upon closer inspection, I noticed a hole in the iron bars big enough for Red to walk through. He must’ve come this way, but I soon encountered mobs, dozens of mobs within the castle. I hid myself, unequipped my torch, and began scaling the wall outside. I reached the top and began sneaking around in the dark, trying to navigate an unknown castle with mobs swarming it, not an easy task.

I cautiously, silently, snuck around the castle, looking for any trace of Red, which was very difficult with the castle so dimly lit. Even after my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, it was nearly impossible to find anything, but I did hear something… echoing through the castle walls, and it sounded like Red. I followed this noise and it sounded like Red crying, legitimately crying, a genuine apology for what he did. I didn’t know fully where he was, but not long after, I heard a second voice, one I didn’t recognize. Someone was talking to Red, so I stopped to listen.

“Good, but don’t you dare double cross me, else you can meet my blade.” The mysterious voice said. “I call her Diane, and you don’t want to see her when she’s angry.”

“Yes, sir. I promise I won’t backstab you, but before you release me, I have to know… Who are you?” I recognized Red’s soft voice.

“Bring the light closer, boys.” A short pause later, the voice coldly added, “My name is AU. Now get moving. I have a home to get back to.”

“Yes, sir.”

‘A home?’ I thought. ‘Who was this “AU,” and where was his home?’

I had to follow, but when I turned, I was instantly face-to-face with a couple of zombies. I grabbed my sword, but I was surprised to see these zombies also wielded weapons, and they were frighteningly good at using them as well. My sword clashed with theirs, but I didn’t have time to fight these mobs. Red was in danger, so I knocked them over and bolted in the opposite direction. However, it was so dark I couldn’t see where I was going, and I slammed face first into a wall. I blacked out soon after, a couple of skeletons was the last thing I saw.

Red

AU led me through the maze that was his castle, mobs surrounding me, I imagine keeping me in line. Even if I could backstab him, I’m a man of my word, and I keep my promises as well as I possibly can. What I found more impressive was how he managed to get all these mobs on his side. Even I, in all my animal knowledge, haven't been able to do that, but I kept silent, following the dull yellow emperor through the winding hallways of the castle. After a while, we stopped suddenly when a couple of skeletons stood in our path.

“Steven, Samantha, what’s going on?” AU asked. The skeletons muttered at him. Somehow, he was able to understand them, just like the zombies. “Another intruder, you say?” He nodded at them, intrigued. I felt my heart drop to my feet. It must’ve been SC. He was the only one who knew where I was and must’ve come to rescue me.

“I fear it’s my friend.” I admitted.

“A friend of yours?” AU asked.

“Yes, and if you harm him…” I seethed. “I am going to grind you into powdered mustard, like your shade.”

“My my, the kid’s got spunk, but I’d like to see you try. You’re still at the mercy of my mobs.” AU smirked. “Bring me this prisoner. They might be useful to me.”

The skeletons nodded and disappeared into the darkness in front of us. They returned promptly with a groggy SC in tow, just as I was concerned about. They tossed him at our feet.

“Ow… my head…” SC groaned, rubbing his head. “Where… Where am I?”

“SC!” I exclaimed, racing over to him. I threw my arms around him, tears flowing down my face.

“Red! My friend…” SC began.

“What happened to you?” I asked. “What did they do to you?

“Nothing, I just ran into a wall, that’s all.” SC insisted. “I’ll be OK.”

“Oh, SC, I’m so so deeply sorry I didn’t listen to you! If I had known what was going to happen-” SC cut me off.

“Shhhh…” SC said comfortingly. “It’s OK, it’s OK. You’re forgiven.”

“I’ll never run off like that again! I promise!” I wailed, tears still streaming down my face.

“Reddy Bear… please, don’t say that.” SC replied tearfully. “I love you for just that reason: You’re such a kindred spirit, a stick that never runs away from anything. Don’t ever change, even if you drive me up the wall sometimes.”

“Thank you, SC.”

“I hate to break this up.” AU said. “Wait, no I don’t. Get up, Red, you have a job to do for me.” SC and I rose to our feet. “And as for you-” SC cut him off.

“He’s not going anywhere with you.” SC interrupted tersely, raising his sword.

“SC, stand down.” I insisted. “He’s not a bad guy, he just wants to get home, and he needs my help to do it.”

“Where’s your home?” SC asked, looking suspicious of him. “Come to think of it, you do look familiar, like I’ve seen you somewhere.”

“I find that hard to believe.” AU stated. “I am from the Outernet, and I’ve been trying multiple times to find a way back home, but all of them have been unsuccessful. Your friend here has agreed to help me.”

“I have.” I confirmed. “What have you been trying?”

“I’ve been trying to create a portal, a pathway of some kind, but so far, no dice.” AU explained.

“How have you been living here, so deep under the ground with seemingly no farm, no food sources or anything of the sort?” SC wondered.

“My mobs have provided me sustenance. They go to nearby villages and raid their crops, which I have been feasting on. In return, I provide them protection, self-defense, and a home in my castle.”

“Well, that answers one question I had.” SC noted.

“We’re burning time.” AU demanded. “Get me back to the Outernet, Red, and as for you…” He gestured to SC.

“If you do anything to him, the deal’s off.” I swore tersely.

“You think you can handle me and my mobs?” AU mocked.

“You don’t want to see me when my friends are in danger.” I told him. “Heads will roll, and I don’t mean that metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or in any other fancy way.” My voice deepened to better emulate the whistling Wolf I was quoting. AU paused. His mobs, specifically a couple of zombies, flanked him, swords drawn.

“You seem to be a fighter.” He noted, waving his hand. The zombies backed away from him. “And you look out for your friends. I respect that. It’s what I trained these mobs to be.” He paused. “OK, then. Bring me to the Outernet and neither you nor your orange friend will be harmed.”

“There are others here, other friends. Promise you won’t harm them either, and you can consider yourself on your way home.”

“You have my word. Stay on my good side, and I have no reason to inflict pain upon them.”

SC gave me a skeptical look, one that clearly told me, “You can’t trust him, Red! Who knows what he’s capable of!” I, however, returned a look of conviction. I had to do this for him. He needed it. He just wanted to go home. Plus, even despite my imprisonment, I didn’t think he was a bad guy at heart. A little overly cautious, maybe, but not evil like Dark, Flodge, and Vic were.

“How do you rope me into these things, Red?” SC moaned.

“I’m not sure. How are you convinced to follow?” I asked. SC sighed deeply.

“My love for you nuts.” He joked. I smiled at him. “By the way, who exactly is this guy?”

“I am AU,” the dull-yellow stick answered, “now let’s get moving.”

“Yes, sir.” I answered, quietly sending a text in the group chat. “I wonder what the others are doing…”

Chapter 5: Green and His Team (Green)

After Yellow said, “GO!”, he, Blue and I took off toward the nearest trees. With my team having an extra member, I figured we could make better time in the sense that we could mine resources faster and get a base set up quicker. We each took a tree and began chopping it down, and things went along pretty smoothly at first. Yellow took the role of crafter, Blue got to work on a small farm and I was our miner, quickly getting stone tools for the three of us. From there, it was a matter of finding iron, and then diamonds to collect the obsidian needed to create the portal, but at the time, night was approaching.

“Green, the sun’s sinking.” Yellow pointed out. “Should we locate or erect a shelter?”

“I think we should be fine, but if you can find a cave, I would not be opposed to it.” I answered.

“All’s well until a Creeper sneaks up on us.” Blue said.

“Calm down, Blue. Keep your sword out, we’ll be OK.” I assured him.

“If it comforts you more,” Yellow began, “I’ll ignite up the furnace. We can burn the logs and create torches with the charcoal from said logs.”

“Sounds like a plan, buddy.” Blue replied.

Yellow promptly began cooking the logs while I investigated the area for newly-spawned mobs. I found a few and took them down easily, gathering a nearly broken bow and a few arrows from skeletons and some rotten flesh from zombies. By the time I returned, Yellow and Blue had made us some torches.

“Excellent work, boys. That will help us when we go mining.” I said.

“Spelunking, if you prefer.” Yellow added.

“Now all we need is a mine.” Blue noted. “We have our weapons, we have our tools, let’s find one.”

“I have the furnace.” Yellow said. “Blue, are we in possession of food?”

“We can find some livestock on the way.” Blue figured.

“It’s a good thing Red isn’t here.” I sighed, relieved. “You know how passionately he loves animals. He wouldn’t let us lay a hand on a cow or pig or sheep or anything.” Yellow and Blue nodded in agreement.

“Let’s locate that mine!” Yellow proclaimed, raising his sword. We followed suit and took off in some random direction. As the night wore on, we crossed more mobs and some reliable food sources in the form of berry bushes, cows, and sheep. Eventually, as the sun rose, we stumbled upon a ravine.

“We might’ve hit the jackpot, dudes.” I said. “There should be a good handful of resources in there.”

“I can see some coal!” Blue pointed.

“And some iron below that!” Yellow added, squinting through his glasses.

“Let’s get down there and collect them before SC and Red do.” I said.

We mined our way down and then back up to get to the resources in the walls, gathering a bunch of coal and enough iron to make a couple of pickaxes for us, along with some to spare. I tossed the iron ore to Yellow, and he smelted them down into ingots, and while they cooked, I examined the ravine further, and found that it went deeper than I thought upon first glance.

“We’ve found a cave guys.” I called. Yellow and Blue joined me.

“Absolutely.” Yellow confirmed. “I wonder how deep it goes.”

“Only one way to find out, buddy.” Blue told him.

“Yellow, we’re gonna need a stronger pickaxe, and probably at least one iron sword.” I said.

“Already made.” Yellow said, handing me the iron sword.

“Nice. Thanks, Yellow.” I took the sword and pulled out a torch, which I held in my free hand.

“I’ll do the mining until we get more iron.” Blue said.

“Excellent.” Yellow replied. “I’ll help you illuminate the way, Green. Judging by the sky’s crimson hue, night is falling once again.”

“We’re ready. Let’s do this thing.” I said confidently. The three of us stepped into the dark cave, slowly descending deeper and deeper. We were able to find a lot of valuable resources, tons of iron and coal, with some gold and redstone sprinkled around. Not surprisingly, Yellow was the most excited about finding redstone, but unfortunately, none of us were able to find diamonds.

“Any luck, guys?” Blue called.

“Nothing yet.” I returned.

“Well… I’ve been thinking…” Yellow began.

“About what, buddy?” Blue asked.

“Well, we need obsidian to make a Nether portal. That much is obvious, but there is more than one way to obtain obsidian.”

“Like collecting it from chests around a broken portal?” I guessed.

“Like planting lava underwater.” Yellow elaborated. “When water hits a freshly dumped bucket of lava, a block of obsidian spawns in place of said lava. If we obtain sufficient lava buckets, we will be capable of creating a full portal without needing to find diamonds, craft a pickaxe, and take the full 9.4 seconds to mine obsidian. We have a large mass of iron, all we need is a lava pool and we should be well on our way to returning to the Nether.”

“I like that idea, Yellow.” I said, nodding. “Let’s get the buckets.”

“I’ll look around for a lava pool.” Blue added. “We’re deep enough to find one relatively easily.”

“Thanks, Blue.” I told him. Yellow promptly made the buckets and tossed a couple to Blue and me. As we ventured deeper down, I got a notification on my phone, and so did Yellow and Blue. Yellow was the first to check his phone.

“Guys, Red just texted.” He said.

“He’s probably trying to distract us.” I figured.

“No, by the sounds of it…” Blue added. “He says that he and SC have met someone and they need help getting home.” I raised an eyebrow, confused.

“There’s no way.” I replied, checking my phone. Sure enough, Red’s text seemed frantic, but too farfetched to be true.

“We gotta help him!” Blue exclaimed.

“Hang on, let me ask SC.” I insisted, sending a text in the group chat reading, “Hey, SC, is this true? You dudes found someone?” and waited for a response. I didn’t have to wait long, as he soon replied.

“Yes.” SC wrote. “Meet us back at the home portal. Red’s insisting we help him.”

I looked at my friends, feeling quite divided about what to do. The Primaries, however, were dead set on doing something, while I had my doubts. Red has always been a bit of a troublemaker, and this could be another scheme of his, but SC wouldn’t outright lie to us.

“SC confirmed it.” Yellow noted. “That’s all I need to hear.”

“Agreed. I trust SC, and to be honest, I’m intrigued to see who they met.” Blue said. I didn’t respond, something within me still hesitant.

“Green? You OK, buddy?” Yellow asked.

“Yeah, I just… I’m skeptical, that’s all.” I explained. “Red has a mischievous streak on him, so much so that I’m kinda surprised he hasn’t tampered with your staff yet, Yellow.”

“If he ever does, I will deliver to him an appropriate punishment.” Yellow promised.

“Besides, Green, SC is confirming it. If we can’t trust him, who can we trust?” Blue asked calmly. “Are you really going to let a competition drive a wedge between us?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time…” I muttered.

“This is your best friend, Green.” Yellow insisted. “Even if you don’t go, Blue and I are intending on doing so. Are you coming, buddy?”

“Right behind you, Yellow.” Blue assured him. I realized that… those two were right. I had to help them, even if it was a ploy, some things are bigger than stupid competitions.

“Hold up, dudes. I’m joining you.”

“Excellent!” Yellow exclaimed.

“Thanks, buddy.” Blue added, patting me on the back. I smiled at him.

“Let’s help them out, and maybe find a new friend.” I proclaimed, following the two Primaries out of the cave.

“Just like Purple?” Yellow asked.

“Just like Purple.” I confirmed.

Chapter 6: Who is AU? (The Second Coming)

Questions about this new, mustard-yellow stick figure flooded through my mind, ‘What does “AU” stand for? How long exactly has he been here? How did he get here, into Minecraft, without a clear entrance? How did he manage to get the mobs on his side?’ were just a few, but I decided not to ask any of them. I didn’t know what this guy was capable of, and considering he had managed to convince an army of hostile mobs to his servants, I figured it would be smart not to get on his bad side. As we followed this… AU… Red and I sent texts to the others, Green, Blue, and Yellow, telling them our situation. We said that we would meet them back at the portal we came from, and they agreed to it. I assumed our competition was essentially paused while we helped AU solve his problem. We were soon led to the entrance of the castle, where AU stopped.

“Why’d you stop?” Red asked.

“I want to know if you need anything.” AU explained. “I’ve been trying to get out of here for a long time, and have been unsuccessful for every single attempt.”

“How long, exactly?” I cautiously wondered. “If I may ask.”

“It’s been a while, but living underground for this long… I’ve lost track of time.” AU shrugged. Red and I glanced at each other. There was no way he was there during the near destruction of Minecraft… right?

“Well, actually,” I spoke up, “we do need something. Do you have a flint and steel?”

“Yes, I do.” AU walked over to one of his chests, opened it, and pulled out a flint and steel. As he approached us, he asked, “Is this the key to getting out of here?”

“In a sense.” I elaborated. “We have access to the Outernet, but in order to get there, we’re going to take you to our home first.”

“Our home?” Red repeated. “Would it not be easier to go through King’s portal?”

“King?” AU asked. “That name is unfamiliar to me…”

“He’s a friend of ours.” I explained. “Anyway, Red, I think it would be safer to take the long way. You know King and Purple are out of town, and having some random guy in their house… I’m not comfortable doing that to them.” Red gave this thought.

“You’re right, SC, as per usual.”

AU handed me the flint and steel. I pocketed it and he led us out of the castle, but before he left completely, he turned around and addressed his allies, the dozens of mobs still in his fortress.

“Mobs, I’m not sure if I will ever return, but if I don’t, I want you all to give others the skills I have taught you all. Make sure that other mobs are able to defend themselves, because… as I have learned… you’re not all bad at heart. You just get a bad rap, that’s all.” He paused and took a breath. “Just… stay safe. No doubt you will be under threat at some point, so look out for each other.”

The mobs made their mob sounds, hissing, grunting, and the rattling of bones among others. AU waved them good-bye and led us out of the cave toward the passage Red found.

“They really seem to love you.” Red noted.

“They’re not just mindless NPCs.” AU explained. “They’re real creatures that are severely misunderstood.”

“Kinda like your monster friends, eh, Reddy Bear?” I teased.

“Exactly like that, buddy.” Red replied.

“You have monster friends?” AU asked, slowly climbing the stairs.

“Yeah, from another adventure.” Red explained. “You know, I should visit them sometime. They’re great guys.”

“So… Why did you get so aggressive against my mobs?” AU asked. Red sheepishly looked at the ground.

“I… didn’t realize they were sentient.” He explained. “If I had known, I never would’ve done it.”

“Believe me, AU, Red is the sweetest soul you’ve ever met and ever will meet.” I said. Red blushed a hot pink. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly. And that’s not just an expression. He legit loves animals so much he became a vegetarian.”

“You seem like a decent guy, but living with mobs for so long and having dealt with nothing but failure trying to get home… You grow a bit reserved.” AU elaborated. “You never fully know who to trust, especially after all I’ve been through.”

“You don’t have to tell me this,” I insisted.

“Poor guy. What happened to you?” Red asked, his eyes filling with tears.

“I’d rather not say.” AU said, remaining stone faced. I suspected there was someone broken hiding within his hard shell, but I doubted he’d be willing to spill it to two random sticks, so I decided to change the subject.

“If I may ask… What does ‘AU’ stand for?” I queried.

“It doesn’t stand for anything.” He replied. “It’s just a name I took on while living here, to make myself more mysterious. It appeals to the mobs more.” After a short pause, he added, “And you? Who are you, stick with the strange head?”

“My name is SC, short for The Second Coming.”

“The second coming of what?” AU asked.

“Just, ‘The Second Coming.’” I replied. “It’s just a name, nothing more.”

“Huh… Interesting…”

AU didn’t say any more during the walk up the stairs. I could tell Red’s heart was breaking for him, but AU didn’t seem interested in lowering his walls… not yet at least. Red glanced over at me and quietly spoke up.

“What’s his story?” He asked.

“You’re asking me? How should I know?”

“I know, I know, I just…” Red’s voice trailed off.

“You’re feeling sorry for him.”

“He just wants to go home. You remember how desperate we were after we got lost and were chased by cave spiders in the mines.”

“Not to mention how much we missed each other. I mean, you and the guys tossed me in the air like cheerleaders.” Red laughed.

“You think he has a family?” Red asked.

“There’s no telling.” I shrugged. “But I understand where you’re coming from, buddy. Your heart is shining through, and we will get him home.” Red looked up at me through his tear-stained eyes. My words clearly touched him.

“You promise?” Red asked.

“I promise.”

We finally reached the mouth of the cave, and just in time, too. The sun was just rising on another day and fresh snow was just starting to fall. As I breathed in the fresh, spruce forest air, AU shielded his eyes against the shining sun and Red wrapped his arms around himself for protection from the unexpected cold and wind.

“So… SC, Red, where did you come from?” AU asked.

“Our p-p-portal is not too f-f-far.” Red shivered, pointing in the direction we came.

“Follow us.” I instructed.

The three of us retraced our steps toward the village and then back toward our portal, where Green, Yellow, and Blue were already waiting.

“Guys!” Red exclaimed, racing ahead of us to embrace the guys.

“Hey, Reddy Bear.” Yellow said gently as Red threw his arms around him.

“Good to see you, buddy.” Blue complimented.

“Yo, SC! Who’s your friend?” Green asked as Red released the other Primaries. AU gave the rest of the guys a look of suspicion.

“Green, Yellow, Blue, meet, AU.” I introduced. “He’s been stuck here for who knows how long and has been longing to get home.”

“Nice to meet you, AU.” Blue said, extending his hand.

“You too.” AU replied flatly. Yellow and Green, however, looked preoccupied.

“Green? Yellow? What’s up?” I asked.

“Sorry, SC, but your friend looks familiar.” Green explained.

“I’m in agreement. I strongly believe I’ve seen him previously.” Yellow added. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that.” I admitted. “I haven’t been able to place it, though.”

“I’ll give it some thought.” Yellow decided. “In the meantime, where are we taking him? Where’s his home?”

“We’re going to the Outernet, via ALANSPC.” I broke the stone in the portal and reignited it with the flint and steel. “This is it, AU, the first step toward your journey home.”

Chapter 7: Heading Home (The Second Coming)

I opened the portal and lit it, its familiar, eerie purple glow illuminating our faces. While this was second nature to us, AU seemed in awe of it. He had clearly never seen anything like it before, and his eyes were wide with intrigue. I wondered how he would react to seeing the Nether in person. There was only one way to find out.

“Is this… my portal home?” AU asked.

“It’s one step of the way.” I explained. “This portal will take us to another dimension called the Nether.”

“And from there, we’ll take another portal to our home.” Yellow added. “And the Outernet afterwards. Nothing too complicated.”

“Don’t worry, buddy. You’ll get home.” Red assured AU, patting him on the shoulder.

“Follow us.” Green said, stepping through the portal. The other FSF, AU, and finally I followed, a little eager to see his expression. He hasn’t shown much emotion since I met him, and his reaction to the Nether left a lot to be desired. He didn’t fully react in any way, not in awe, but not in complete “been there, done that,” either. It was sort of… in between.

“Welcome to the Nether, AU.” I said.

“Impressive.” AU replied after a second. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Just wait ‘til you try the Netherwart that grows here.” Blue added.

“Try? You mean, like, eat it?” AU questioned.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve sampled its spicy, savory goodness.” Blue answered, his eyes glazing.

“Trust me, you have.” Green countered. Red stepped in to break them up.

“Guys, guys, let’s just head home.” He ordered. “And then AU can do the same.”

“Our home portal is nearby.” Yellow assured him.

“Follow us.” I took the lead, guiding my friends through the fiery heck-hole that is the Nether. We had to avoid various mobs and Ghast fireballs, some of whom caught AU’s attention.

“I wonder if I could tame these beasts.” AU said thoughtfully.

“AU, I have to warn you, some things are just evil.” I warned. “I’ve experienced a couple cases of pure evilness in my life, and another just one of pure brokenness.”

“Not these mobs.” AU swore. “Surely they have some kind of soft spot within them.”

“If there is, I’ve never seen it.” Red admitted.

“Nor have I read about it or researched it.” Yellow added. “But maybe I could try with a Ghast…”

“Live with mobs as long as I have, you begin to learn a thing or two about them.” AU explained.

“Live with mobs?” Blue repeated. “You lived with mobs?”

“Not only that, but in a massive fortress.” Red confirmed.

“Wow, dude, that’s insane.” Green said, in awe. AU didn’t reply.

We continued our trek in silence for a little while before we soon arrived at our home portal.

“Here it is, AU. The second step on your journey home.” I told him. “Shall we continue?”

“Lead the way.” He replied.

We stepped through it one-by-one, AU coming in last. He looked around at the window our portal was in, quickly realizing he was not in the Outernet, but inside a computer. He nodded, seemingly intrigued. He wasn’t giving me much to read in terms of facial expressions.

“You guys live in a computer?” He asked, intrigued.

“Yep.” I confirmed. “Home sweet home, but not our final destination.” I hopped down onto the taskbar, the guys following.

“In order to reach it, we're gonna need some wings.” Blue said, heading to our shared house.

“Wings? You guys can fly?” AU asked.

“A friend of ours taught us.” Green explained.

“You five are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” AU quipped.

“Rest assured, our lives are perennially entertaining, my yellow counterpart.” Yellow confirmed.

“This dude straight up ate a dictionary for breakfast.” AU muttered to me.

“He’s a nerd in a lot of aspects.” I agreed. “But we love him regardless.”

“The door’s open.” Red said, straining to open our portal to the Outernet. “And here comes Blue with our wings.”

Sure enough, Blue was there with a pair of wings for each of us, except AU, but I had a plan to get him to the ground safely.

“AU, how’s your upper body strength?” I asked.

“Decent, why?”

“I’m going to need you to hold on to me with all your strength.” I explained. “The fall upon crossing to the other side is not for the faint of heart.”

“Got it.”

“Just hold on to me, I’ll hold on to you. We’ll take you where you need to go.” I assured him.

“Thanks, guys.”

“You’re more than welcome, buddy.” Red replied. We all put on our elytra, took enough fireworks, and raced through the hole leading to the Outernet. It was a short and familiar trip there, and upon reaching the other side, we took out our fireworks and ignited them to stay propelled in the air.

“Welcome home, AU.” I said. “Where do you want us to drop you off?” AU scanned the scenery, the familiar cliffside where Chosen fought Dark–though there was no way AU could’ve known that, of course–the metropolis known as Stick City, the dense forest that spanned the landscape. Eventually, he decided on…

“That big city, Stick City, I believe.”

“Gotcha. Anywhere specifically?” I asked.

“Yeah, do you have a home to go back to?” Red asked.

“Just drop me off in the city. I can make it on my own. I’m not completely helpless.” AU shot back. Red gave an apologetic look. “There’s a park in the city that I know well. You can leave me there.”

“Are you sure?” Blue asked.

“He said he’d be fine, bro.” Green replied.

“He gave the orders. I suggest we follow them.” Yellow added. “If we want to help him, at least.”

“Let’s fly, guys!” I proclaimed.

We soared lower and lower, toward the massive city known as Stick City, the home of millions of stick figures similar to the FSF, Purple, and King. I’m not surprised AU asked to be brought here, but what did catch me by surprise was the fact that he didn’t reveal an actual location. I found it a little odd, but if he didn’t want to disclose it, if he was confident he could make it, then I couldn’t squeeze it out of him. We soon arrived at the park, and dropped him off.

“Thank you all. I can take it from here.” AU assured us.

“Do you have time for a good-bye hug?” Red asked, extending his arms.

“I’m not a hugger, Red.” AU coldly returned. Red blushed and looked sheepishly at the ground.

“Well, maybe we’ll see you around.” I said.

“Maybe… I guess.” AU shrugged. “I’d better get going.”

“Bye!” The guys and I said in unison as we took off into the sky. He didn’t return the gesture, just leaving without saying a word. After we got into the air, I sighed deeply, content that we were able to help him, but I wondered a lot about him. What was his story? How did he get into the game? He was very quiet about his past, and just altogether more cold than other stick figures I’ve met, but I suppose not everyone can be as lively as people like Red or Purple. Plus, living in isolation for so long, with no friends other than the mobs, I can only imagine takes a toll on one’s psyche. I remembered how lonely I was after the FSF and I parted ways several years ago. I was not in a good mental state at that time, so lonely even after a short time. I couldn’t imagine going years without them. I shuddered at the thought.

The guys sensed my silence and spoke up about it.

“SC? You OK, bro?” Green asked.

“My brain is overflowing with questions.” I elaborated. “I’m glad we were able to help him, of course, but the guy has so much mystery behind him.”

“I must admit I cannot recall meeting someone so… cold before.” Blue confessed.

“We met him in a cave living amongst the mobs.” Red explained. “I suppose living there does that to a guy.”

“I figured that as well, Red.” I agreed. “But still, he seems very monotone. I couldn’t read him for the life of me.”

“Even Purple before his redemption was rather cheerful and optimistic… for the most part.” Green noted. “Even when he wasn’t, he was definitely more emotional than AU.”

“And then King…” I added. “Poor guy was grieving and vengeful, and he sure as heck fought like it.”

“AU had a mission. Maybe he was just dead set on it.” Red considered.

“What do you think, Yellow?” Blue asked. “You’ve been quiet.”

“Sorry, Blue, I’ve just been pondering. I swear I’ve seen him before. I know it.” Yellow said.

“Where, though?” Blue asked gently.

“That’s the problem, buddy.” Yellow answered. “I don’t know, and it’s driving me crazy.” He sighed deeply. “Sorry, guys. You know how ‘obsessive compulsive’ I can be, but I’m the intelligent one. The fact I can’t recall this is frustrating to me.”

“I agree, I think I’ve seen him before as well,” Green confessed, “but I’m putting it in the back of my mind.”

“He’s right. You’ll figure it out, Yellow.” I said comfortingly as we approached the portal back home. “Put it in the back of your mind. I’m sure it’ll come to you eventually.”

“I hope so.” Yellow agreed.

“I just hope that doesn’t affect you in our game.” Green told Yellow. “Your mind is our greatest asset, and we need it to be clear, concise, and calculating.”

“We’re still doing it?” Yellow asked.

“I don’t see why not. We remember where we were when we paused, right?” Green asked. “Surely we can return to our old locations and just resume the game.”

“That sounds agreeable to me.” I said. The others nodded. “Here’s hoping we can continue without interruptions or surprises.”

We returned to ALANSPC, through the portals leading back to the spruce forest, blocked it back up, and returned to our old locations. For Red and I, it was AU’s fortress. Once we were all ready to resume, we texted each other and the game was back on.

Chapter 8: Battle for the Blazes (Yellow)

Upon returning to our respective locations, we resumed our competition. Blue, Green, and I continued deeper into the cave, looking for any form of natural light, as well as any ores we could find. The cave was quite expansive and we delved lower and lower, looking for a lava pool. Eventually, we hit the jackpot, discovering a massive lake of the orange-and-yellow liquid.

“Be careful, guys.” Blue instructed. “We can’t have anyone falling in.” He shuttered after saying this, and I recalled his story of when he dove into lava to rescue a baby Piglin. I can’t imagine the pain he must’ve felt, having his body incinerated, engulfed in lava. I’m just glad I wasn’t there to witness it or hear him screaming.

“I’ll fill up the buckets.” I insisted.

“I’ll join you, bro.” Green said, accompanying me. Blue kept looking out for various mobs, though with the torches we sprinkled around, we didn’t have to worry all too much. As we took our buckets and filled them with the burning hot molten liquid, my mind returned to AU, and where I had seen him before. I was determined to figure it out, and it just kept nagging at me, like an unfinished Sudoku puzzle.

I heard Green’s voice, but I was so caught up in my own rabbit hole of thoughts that I couldn’t understand him. He sounded like a small, muffled voice in the cacophony that was my inner mindscape. I didn’t even realize he wasn’t beside me until Blue put a hand on my shoulder. I flinched, a bit startled, but he could clearly sense something was up with me. I snapped back to reality.

“Yellow? You OK, buddy?” Blue asked gently. Green stood behind him, looking concerned.

“Yeah. Sorry, buddy, I’m just slightly preoccupied, that’s all.” I answered.

“About AU?” I didn’t say one way or the other, instead gazing at the lava pool in front of me. “I know that look in your eyes, Yellow. Your mind is distracted, you're hyper-fixated on him, I’m sure of it.”

That’s probably the reason Blue’s my best friend: he knows me inside and out, all my looks, all my quirks, all the times I have preoccupied myself in my thoughts. Plus, his ability to read me and sense when I’m going through something is a great contrast to my numerical mind.

“You hit the nail on the head, my friend.” I confirmed, looking up at him. “You know how hard it is for me to just drop something when I am dead set on figuring it out?”

“Yes. I’m the same way about Netherwart.” I chuckled. “Listen, buddy, if anyone can solve it, it’s you, and no matter how long it takes, I’m confident you will.”

“And even if you don’t, we love you regardless.” Green promised me. “Even if you’re a total nerd.” I rolled my eyes but smiled at him.

“Thanks, you showboat.” I teased. “No, seriously, you’re such a showboat you could play spring football in Memphis.”

“You’re real funny, bro.” Green quipped. Blue and I chuckled.

“Thanks, friends. I’ll… try to block it out of my mind.”

“That’s all we’re asking of you, buddy.” Blue said.

“And stay focused. We’re gonna need you to stay focused.” Green added.

“Green!” Blue shot back.

“What?”

“There are more important things than winning, you know.”

“It’s fine, Blue, it’s fine.” I collected myself and filled my final bucket with lava. “I got the hot stuff. I trust you do as well, Green.”

“You better believe it, bro.”

“Excellent. Next, let’s find a deep pool of water.” I said.

“We’ll have the best chance to do so on the surface.” Blue replied. Green nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go!” Green raced out of the cave, Blue and I followed behind him. As we climbed higher and higher, eventually reaching the ravine, Blue spoke up.

“Yellow, are you sure you’re OK?”

“Yes, thank you.” I affirmed. “I’m trying to block it out, and regain my focus.”

“Hopefully going to the Nether helps with that.” Blue replied, climbing vertically by placing blocks underneath him.

“I hope so too, buddy.”

I followed Blue’s lead and climbed up by placing blocks below me, soon reaching the top of the ravine. From there, it was a matter of finding a body of water that wasn’t frozen, not the easiest task when your location is a frozen taiga biome, but we soon found a river deep enough to accompany our needs. Swimming below the surface, Green, Blue, and I placed the lava buckets in the shape of a Nether Portal without the corners, as those aren’t necessary. We had enough iron for a flint and steel, so we ignited the portal and returned to the familiar, albeit unfriendly, confines of the Nether. More specifically, the Nether wastes.

“Welcome back to the Nether, boys.” Green said. “Now it’s only a matter of finding a fortress.” I quickly examined the wastes, seeing nothing useful outside of lava-falls. Clearly we were nowhere near a fortress, so we just had to locate one quickly. Who knows where Red and SC were in their progress.

“Blue, can you lead us to Netherwarts?” I half-joked.

“I love them, but not that much.” Blue answered.

“I find that hard to believe.” Green muttered under his breath.

“Let’s just find that fortress and those Blaze rods.” I ordered. “We have a few Ender pearls, but we’re going to need more.”

“Another benefit: the loot inside those chests.” Blue added. “And the savory… spicy… succulent…” Green gagged.

“Let’s get a move on before I throw up.” He said, a little queasy.

We searched the vast landscape for any trace of a fortress. We considered returning to the fortress Blue first found Netherwarts, back before the Battle for Minecraft, but we had no idea where we were, nor any reference points or anything like that. We ended up taking our chances by looking near and far, and though it took a while, we found one completely untouched upon first glance. We didn’t ask questions, instead we raided it. I had to keep an eye on Blue, making sure he didn’t find a Netherwart farm since he would easily spend too much time there. As we raced through the maze, we found several chests and looted them, finding iron ingots and even some diamonds, enough for the three of us to each make a sword. With our upgraded weapons, we finally found a Blaze spawner, only to meet a couple of familiar faces shortly after.

“Well, well, well, look who’s here.” A voice from behind me said. I turned around and there were Red and SC, their iron weapons glinting.

“Looks like we have a game!” Green claimed.

“Green, keep an eye on these Blazes!” Blue shouted, taking aim at one of them with his bow.

“Besides, we can’t kill each other.” I reminded us. “How’d you even get here so quickly?”

“We got lucky with our portal placement.” SC explained.

“Enough chit-chat. Get the powder!” Red exclaimed.

“Blue, farm the Blazes!” I ordered. “Green and I will try to hold them back.”

“Gotcha, Yellow!”

A tussle began between the two groups, mostly just playful sparring between us, though Green came close to crossing the line. This didn’t surprise me, as Green is by far the most competitive of the lot, but Red’s aggression countered that surprisingly well. As for me, I mostly tried walling off Red and SC with whatever blocks I had to buy Blue some more time. While SC mined it, I replaced it as quickly as possible. As the scrum continued, another crisis arose.

“Guys, I’m out of arrows!” Blue said in a bit of a panic.

“Then use your sword!” Green commanded.

Blue shrugged, nodded, and did as ordered, but not long after that, I ran out of blocks. Realizing this, I switched to my sword and held my ground.

“Watch the fireballs, everyone!” Blue shouted.

I turned around and saw a few Blazes shooting at us, but I saw it as an opportunity to get Red and SC off our back.

“Blue, join us! I have an idea.” I said. Blue complied, and Red and SC looked at each other, a little confused. I watched the Blazes ignite themselves, and shoot their fireballs at us. “Move, guys!” I shouted. We dodged the fireballs, but Red and SC were not as quick. The fireballs almost hit them and they retreated around the corner.

“Clever play, Yellow. I give you props.” SC complimented.

“Thanks, SC.”

“Is this enough rods?” Blue asked, showing me and Green a dozen blaze rods in his hands.

“That’s perfect, Blue!” I exclaimed. “Let's get outta here!”

“Hang on, bros. Let’s slow ‘em down a bit.” Green said. He took some cobblestone and walled off the way to the spawner. With the route blocked, we bolted toward the spawner, climbed onto the fence behind it, and hopped onto the roof to make our escape without getting spotted.

“That probably won’t hold them for long,” Green admitted.

“Nonetheless, we might need those few precious seconds.” I noted. Blue then spoke up.

“Yellow, how long were we here?” I checked my watch.

“I’m not fully sure. I wasn’t timing us.”

“Regardless, we might have a slim lead on them, with the powder.” Blue noted. “Let’s just hope we can get the pearls, and the Netherwart…”

“Blue, buddy, if we win this, you can eat all the Netherwart you want.” I assured him.

“Really?”

“We have access to the MGI. not to mention my Staff. Absolutely.”

“Back to our portal, dudes!” Green ordered. “Let’s get back to the Overworld and find that End portal!”

Chapter 9: Element 79 (Yellow)

It took a while, but we found our portal and returned to the Overworld, underwater, where we erected the aforementioned portal. We swam to the surface, only to realize the sun was rising and we’d have to wait another 10 minutes before night falls and we could find more Endermen. While disappointing, we still had some pearls from a few Endermen we killed while spelunking. We crafted the Eyes of Ender and took a moment to regroup before night fell.

“Yellow, do we have any more iron ingots or diamonds?” Green asked.

“Well, we got a lot of iron from that mine. Enough for some armor for us.” I explained. “Diamonds, though, we used them for our swords, you will recall.”

“Do we need armor, though?” Blue asked.

“It couldn’t hurt.” I reasoned. “Besides, we need protection when we go monster slaying tonight.”

“No doubt we can find some useful drops from these mobs.” Green added. “Endermen are the #1 target.”

“Obviously, but Blue’s out of arrows.” I said. “I’d imagine you want more, buddy.”

“You are correct, bud.” Blue confirmed.

“I have enough string for a fishing rod. I don’t think I need much else.” Green elaborated.

“It sounds like it’s settled then. Skeletons and Endermen are to be prioritized. Anything else is just collateral damage.” I figured.

“Let’s take ‘em, down!” Blue shouted, raising his sword.

We didn’t have to wait much longer for the sun to set and for mobs to spawn. I crafted us some armor, Green made a couple fishing rods for us, and we split up, searching through the forest for Endermen, and while they weren’t as common as things like Skeletons and Zombies, I found and killed four Endermen and farmed a trio of pearls from them, and that doesn’t bring up the number of Skeletons I defeated and arrows I racked up. When dawn broke, the three of us met back up not far from our river portal and pooled our resources. With all of the Pearls we got, we made more than enough Eyes of Ender, and with them, we followed them to the Stronghold. While we lost some along the way, we still had a sufficient amount and dug into the earth, eventually finding the Stronghold deep underground.

“We’re so close!” Green exclaimed eagerly. “I can taste victory.”

“And it tastes like Nether-” Blue began before Green cut him off.

“Don’t go there, bro. Do. Not. Go there.”

“If we’re ready to cease the arguments, guys, let’s find that End portal.” I interjected. “Knowing Red and SC, they won’t be far behind us.”

Green and Blue nodded in agreement and we split up, navigating the hallways and passages of the Stronghold. While exploring, we found the End Portal, though it was Blue who found it first.

“Guys! Over here!” Blue called. “I found it!”

We headed in the direction of Blue’s voice, eventually meeting back up at the Portal. As I placed the Eyes in the open slots in the frame, Green spoke up.

“Yellow, is there a way to block this portal? So that Red and SC can’t follow us?”

“Not that I’m aware, Green, I’m afraid.”

“Well, we won’t have a shot at victory if we don’t do this.” Blue said confidently. “Yellow, power up this portal.”

“Got it, buddy.” As I placed the last Eye, I was startled by a voice behind me.

“Red! Over here!”

Green, Blue, and I turned around and saw SC behind us, waving for Red. The competition was coming down to the wire, but someone had to make the first move. It turned out to be Green.

“Sorry, SC, but that dragon is ours!” Green taunted, leaping through the End Portal. Blue and I followed, and SC and Red were right behind. We soon reached the main island where the dragon flew around imposingly. All five of us stood side-by-side gazing at the majestic beast.

“Looks like we might be working together, after all.” I theorized.

“You might be right, Yellow.” Red agreed.

“Red, destroy those crystals!” SC ordered. “And watch out for the Endermen!”

“Got it, SC!” Red took off, Blue and I followed. I had a sneaky idea though.

“Blue, when Red gets high enough off the ground, snipe those crystals.” I instructed. “That’ll leave him a bit stranded, and it’ll take time for him to get down. I can use a fishing rod well enough. I can get those caged ones.”

“What about Green?” Blue asked, glancing over his shoulder. The two Secondaries were in pursuit, jockeying for position. Even then, I could see them smiling at each other, clearly enjoying the tussle.

“He’ll be fine.” I answered, chuckling. “Watch out for the dragon, buddy.”

“You got it, Yellow!”

We separated, Blue taking the role of sniper and I swung myself up onto the pillars to destroy the protected crystals. Seeing Red frustrated, stuck on a pillar of cobblestone as Blue exploded his main objective was priceless. SC, though, came prepared, planting buckets of water underneath Red to break his falls. Gotta give SC props, he gives me a run for my money when it comes to Minecraft strategy. Green joined me on top of the pillars, swinging from one to the other like Spider-StickMan and took out the remaining crystals.

“Alright, boys, time to kill the Dragon!” Green shouted. As the beast descended, all five of us swarmed it, striking it with our swords and arrows–in Blue’s case–draining its health rapidly. When she took off back into the air, Green and SC climbed aboard its wings, hanging on for dear life. We Primaries watched from below, in awe.

“That is not how to train a dragon.” Red noted.

“And how do you know that?” Blue asked teasingly.

“I’ve seen the trilogy.” Red replied. “While not my favorite, it’s a great franchise, and the main dragon is SO CUTE!”

“Looks like quite the fight up there.” I observed, squinting. “Blue, can you get a clear shot?”

“Not with the dragon swerving so wildly.” Blue answered.

“I guess it’s up to SC and Green,” Red said, nodding, “and I doubt either of them are going to give this up easily.”

I couldn’t tell who they were fighting harder: the dragon or themselves, not from the low vantage point I had, but by the time the dragon lowered close enough for us Primaries to strike, it was closer to 15% health. The five of us hammered it with our weapons, and it proved no match for us. Its final few HP were depleted and it exploded in a Creeper-like cloud. SC and Green hopped off the dragon’s back and watched it rise in a massive cloud of dust before it burst into dozens of XP orbs, and we celebrated its defeat. We had done it, but one question still remained.

“Who landed the final blow?” Blue asked.

“Oh, that was me.” Green claimed, confidently.

“You?” SC shot back. “I got the game-clinching swing and you know it!”

“Are you serious? Anyone with eyes could see that I killed it.” Green retaliated.

“I took it down fair and square!” SC shouted angrily.

“Guys, guys, break it up!” Blue exclaimed, stepping between the two Secondaries. He breathed deeply. “Yellow, did you see who hit it last, because I think it was me.”

“You?!” Green and SC asked, shocked.

“A stray arrow hit it in the neck at almost that exact moment.” Blue insisted.

“No way, Blue.” Red replied. “I swung so fast it had to have been me.”

“Well, Yellow, who was it? Who slayed the dragon?” Green asked.

“To be honest, guys, I didn’t notice.” I admitted sheepishly. “I was too busy attacking, I couldn't see who landed the final blow.” I gave it some thought. “Wait! The achievement list! Who got the achievement for it?”

“We… don’t have achievements, Yellow.” SC confessed. “Else, I would’ve gotten things when I first discovered the block.”

“He’s right.” Green agreed. “We’ve all played Creative mode so much, the achievements are basically unclaimable for us.” I sighed deeply.

“So that’s it, then? Another instance of our last minecart race? Too close to pick a winner?” Blue guessed.

“We all claim that we won, and no one’s backing down.” Red observed. “Is there another solution?” I pondered, but I couldn’t determine a clear winner.

“I’m afraid not, Reddy Bear.” SC and Green shot each other a look, still claiming that they finished it. “Guys, guys… My friends… Let’s go home. We did what we came here for, we beat the Ender Dragon.”

I jumped through the portal and we returned to our taiga biome. Red, Blue, SC, and Green followed, the Secondaries still bickering with each other. We stepped through the portal, which was still on, and returned to ALANSPC, weary and worn out from our adventure. Well, except for two of us.

“I still won this and you know it.” SC claimed.

“You’re wrong, bro. So, so wrong.” Green retaliated.

“Guys, guys, cease! You both are acting like children!” I exclaimed. SC and Green were silent for a moment. I sighed deeply. “If you can’t terminate your squabbling, I’ll retain the trophies I made for us.” SC and Green glanced at each other.

“I’m sorry, Green. It’s just a game, nothing to get worked up about.” SC apologized.

“I’m sorry too, SC. You know how competitive I am, but that’s no excuse for my behavior.” Green replied.

“Much better.” I said, nodding. “Now, I’ll get the trophies, and my staff so I can make a couple more. They’re in my bedroom. I shall return momentarily.”

I headed to my room in our shared house, where I stored a trio of gold trophies for the winner of this competition. As I glanced at them, my eyes lifted to a giant poster on my wall, one on any science classroom worth its salt. Suddenly, something clicked with me. Something fell into place, something I had been trying to figure out all day. My eyes widened… Number 79… I had the answer to this conundrum. It had taken me way too long, but I had found it finally! I raced out to join the others. I had to tell them of this revelation.

“Friends! Friends! I found it! I found it!” I exclaimed.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Yellow,” Red said, “you sound like me right now.”

“You found what, buddy?” Blue asked.

“And where are the trophies?” Green wondered.

“Forget about that. I know where I’ve seen AU before!”

“Wait, what? How?” SC asked.

“Follow me!” I zoomed into my room, the other four following close behind me. “I was looking at the trophies, and at my poster, and I figured it out!”

“Your poster of the periodic table?” Red asked, bewildered.

“Yes! Seeing the trophies, seeing the table, I remembered where I saw AU before.” I explained. “I was looking at the trophies, the gold trophies, and that got me thinking. He has a dull yellow color like the actual color gold… and then there’s his name. I knew it sounded familiar, and it’s right here!” I pointed to the element with the atomic number 79, the chemical symbol reading, “Au,” and below it, the name of the element: Gold.

“Yellow, what are you saying?” SC asked. His eyes then grew big in shock, as if he understood where I was going. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking…”

“I am, SC. I am.” I confirmed coolly. “His color, his name, him being in Minecraft, it’s clear to me. AU is King’s lost son… his deceased son… Gold.”

Chapter 10: The Investigation Continues (The Second Coming)

The remaining FSF and I stared at Yellow, mouths open in shock. Was Yellow considering what I think he was considering? King’s son was alive and, not only that, he could be going home? Not surprisingly, none of us could believe it, and after a pause that felt like an eternity, I finally spoke up.

“You… You cannot be serious, Yellow.”

“There’s no way.” Green agreed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I admit that it’s a stretch.” Yellow confessed. “None of us were there, I know, and we all have heard King’s story before. Gold was deleted from existence, but I’m positive that was him.”

“Buddy… It’s impossible. Gold died, King saw it happen.” Blue said.

“It has to be a coincidence, Yellow.” Red agreed. “I mean, is it not possible for a two-letter name to be ‘AU’ just by sheer luck?”

“Plus, if that was the case, then my name would be…” I checked Yellow’s poster. “Sc… Sc… Sc… Ah! ‘Scandium.’ Ew, I’m glad that’s not my name.”

“Or ‘Sulfur Carbon,’ if you prefer.” Green teased. Yellow then spoke up.

“To answer your question, Red, the odds–assuming the probabilities of each letter are independent of one another–would be 1 in 26 squared, 1 in 676 or 0.1479%. Which is why I think it’s deliberate. We’re talking about a tenth of a percent. There’s no way that’s accidental! And if you don’t believe me, why not check for ourselves?”

“How so?” Blue asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Let’s swing by King’s house.” Yellow answered. “He has several pictures of Gold. We’ve all seen them. Green, even you claimed his shade of yellow was familiar.”

“I agree, but there are tons of shades of yellow.” Green replied. “His is probably eerily similar.”

“And I don’t feel comfortable going to their house when they’re out of town.” I argued. “That’s an invasion of privacy I will not stand for.”

“How else are we going to get to the bottom of this mystery?” Yellow demanded to know. He clearly wasn’t backing down, and I’ve never seen him like this before. Usually it’s Green that’s this relentless, mostly because he’s like a shark when it comes to any sort of competition. However, Yellow had a point. There was no real way of confirming this without dropping by King’s house.

“I’m intending on going.” Yellow continued. “Join me or not, that’s up to you, but I am solving this no matter what.”

“Your OCD meter is off the charts, Yellow.” Red joked. “But I am curious as well. I’m going.” He stood beside Yellow.

“This could be life-changing for King and Purple if this is true. I have to know as well.” Green affirmed, walking over to flank Yellow’s other side.

“They’re great friends of ours. I am joining them too.” Blue added, taking his place with the other FSF.

“Well, SC? You with us or not?” Yellow asked. I stared at my friends, frustrated and annoyed with them, but ultimately, I knew that there was no changing their minds. Whenever they get their hearts set on something, it’s one adventure after the other. I love them for it, but I would be lying if I said that I always enjoy this type of thing. I don’t even know how they convince me of this crap, but they do.

“Fine! But to be clear, I’m not happy about it!” I said, caving in and sighing deeply.

“Excellent!” Yellow exclaimed, the others cheering as well. “Let’s grab our wings and fly there!”

We did exactly that, grabbing our elytra, slipping them on and stepping back through the portal. A short flight later, we approached King’s familiar portal, one we had stepped through countless times during our visits to King and Purple, though my questions were still pounding in my mind like a drum. ‘Were we doing the right thing? Were we overstepping our boundaries? Were we being bad friends for doing this, or could we help King by bringing his son back? How would Purple react to meeting his half-brother? How would Gold react? Was this even him?’ I didn’t ask any of them, though. I doubted the guys had any answers to them anyway.

We stepped through the portal and appeared in King’s basement. We climbed the ladder and there we were, in the friendly confines of King’s home. We’ve seen pictures of Gold before, and made a beeline for a small table with a picture of King his son when he was a kid, a small kid, small enough to be carried on King’s shoulders.

“Here it is, guys.” Yellow said, examining the picture more closely. “Look familiar?” He showed it to the rest of us.

“I must admit, that shade of yellow is very similar to AU’s.” Blue confessed.

“Almost identical.” I had to agree.

“Not ‘almost,’ SC. It is identical.” Yellow pointed out.

“It’s true.” Red said, in awe. I had to agree, AU’s shade was very, very similar to Gold’s. It was practically indistinguishable, but a part of me still had doubts.

“But one thing stands out to me.” I noted.

“What’s that, bro?” Green asked.

“Whenever King described Gold, he was always described as cheerful, excitable, eager to try anything, happy-go-lucky, you know, things of that nature. AU was nothing like that. He was cold, dark, flat, emotionless, solemn… That’s not how King talks about his birth son.” I explained. “Not to mention he was unfamiliar with his own dad’s name. How do you guys explain that?”

“Well, about your first point, SC, it’s been several years.” Green considered. “Maybe he grew up and out of that childish phase. Heck, you and Yellow are far more mature than most sticks your age.” Yellow nodded in agreement.

“Remember, SC, that we met him in a cave surrounded by mobs.” Red added. “I’d imagine he had to grow tough to appeal to them, and I would know. When I showed my friends in Monster School what I could do, as well as when I urged them to go on without me, they slowly befriended me and even came back for me.”

“That is a plausible explanation,” Yellow said, nodding, “and for your second point, SC, remember King’s story. He was a regular guy before he lost Gold. He only became King after the Incident and his rise to power, not when he had Gold in his life. Gold wasn’t around to witness it.” I gave this thought. It made logical sense, and, to be honest, I expected nothing less from Yellow.

“So then what was his name beforehand?” Blue asked. “What does Gold know him as?”

“Could it be his color? Dark orange?” Red suggested. “Yellow, what shade is he, exactly?”

“#D46909.” Yellow answered.

“Layman’s terms, Yellow.” I replied.

“Yeah, we don’t speak nerd.” Green quipped.

“Mango Tango.” Yellow elaborated, rolling his eyes at Green. “I do like Red’s suggestion. It makes logical sense, and considering we FSF and Purple are named after our colors, why would other sticks like us be any different? Even you, SC, are nicknamed ‘Orange.’” I gave this thought, and I found it hard to dispute Yellow’s argument. He continued, “but where is Gold now? If Gold was intending on returning home, then in theory, he would’ve been here and gotten no response, unless King moved in the time between the Incident and his rise to power. But assuming that wasn’t the case, this would be Gold’s home, which means he came here, and King and Purple are still out of town.”

“Does he have a roof over his head until they return?” Blue asked, concerned.

“He insisted he’d be fine on his own.” I countered. “We can’t force someone to accept our help.”

“Besides, he could be anywhere at this point.” Green added. “I’m not even sure we can help him.”

“He needs it, though!” Red protested. “Poor guy just wants his family back.”

“And he’ll get them back, Reddy Bear.” Blue said, patting Red on the back. “Just not right now.”

“In the meantime, though, we should tell King.” Yellow advised. “His son is alive! He needs to know this!”

“Hold on, Yellow.” I insisted. “We’re still not totally sure it’s him. I mean, King was there when he saw Gold’s deletion. There’s no way he’d believe us.”

“But what if it is?” Red asked. “King deserves to know!”

“And Purple does as well.” Green agreed. “His brother… er, half-brother, is alive!”

“It could just be a look-alike, a doppelganger, someone with a very similar color to him.” I proposed. “Besides, if he is alive, how did he survive? King claims that Gold was deleted from existence, lost in a glitch. There was no way he could’ve survived that… Right?” This question gave all of us thought.

“I don’t possess a response for that question, SC.” Yellow admitted. “I don’t know.” The others shrugged, also admitting they couldn’t answer it, and to be honest, I couldn’t either. Yellow continued, “However, I still strongly believe that was Gold, even if there is logic I cannot fathom.” I sensed the determination in Yellow’s voice. There was going to be no changing his mind. Plus, I had to admit, there was a lot of evidence for Yellow’s case. I was still skeptical, but it was hard to dispute it.

“OK, OK,” I began, extending my hands out in front of me, “if Yellow’s hunch is correct, and there is a lot of proof for it, King has to be informed.”

“A text couldn’t hurt.” Blue said, shrugging.

“But what do we tell him?” Yellow asked.

“Tell him the truth, be honest.” Red suggested. “Something like, ‘We found someone in Minecraft who looks just like your lost son. Could it be him?’” He paused. “OK, saying it out loud, it sounds crazy.”

“We’ll figure it out on the way home.” I said. “We saw what we came here for, let’s head back. Maybe by then we can find out what to say.” I stepped to and opened the trapdoor leading to the basement.

“I hope you’re right, SC.” Green said, following me down the ladder. The Primaries joined one after the other, we all stepped through the portal and we headed home with our elytra. We flew back in silence, not really knowing what to say to each other. I don’t know about the guys, but I was wondering what to tell King and Purple, and how to break the news to them. I didn’t have long to think, though, as we soon returned to our home portal. We stepped through it, dropped to our taskbar, and hung up our elytra.

“Guys, I’ve been giving it thought, and I think I know what to say.” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket.

“What’s that, SC?” Red asked.

“Read my text and you’ll see.” I told him. I began writing the text. “Hi, King, Purple. We hope you’re enjoying your vacation, but we have some news for you. We met a stick figure inside of Minecraft, a dull yellow color, similar to your lost son. This is too crazy to believe, even for me, but we think your son is alive, and he may be visiting you soon.”

I sent it in our shared group chat and waited anxiously for a reply.

Chapter 11: Family Vacation (King)

It’s been a couple of weeks since Magenta left for college, and Purple still misses her greatly. They call daily, text, Purple has even visited her on one occasion. It’s so sweet. I still remember my dates with Neon, when I was young and lovestruck like Purple, but this week was a bit rougher than others. He’s been missing her more and more, and even though the kids and I have supported him every step of the way, I guess the emotions just hit all at once like a ton of bricks. I can understand, as after Neon graduated college and I still had one more year, I had spells like this too, stretches of just melancholiness that I found hard to shake. I had to help my little Prince, so I suggested getting away for the weekend, just the two of us, for some father-son time, and he agreed. He seemed really excited for it, too, so that was great to see.

The weather was still relatively warm, though that wasn’t going to last, so I reserved a room at a resort in a different part of the Outernet, a place called Sticksonsin Dells. It’s nicknamed the “Waterpark capital of the Outernet,” so that piqued my interest, and the various other activities got Purple on board as well. That weekend, we headed out, flying there on a plane for once. It felt a little weird flying somewhere in a plane rather than an elytra, but we needed to with our luggage in tow. Aside from some slight turbulence, we arrived safely that Friday afternoon, checked into our room, and got unpacked.

“Well, here we are, Purple. Sticksconsin Dells.” I sighed. “What do you want to do first?”

“What are the options?”

“Aside from the waterparks? There’s a multitude of options. Shall we explore? Maybe you can find something that catches your eye.” Purple gave it thought.

“I think I saw they had mini golf on their website. I’ll bet you can’t beat me in that!”

“I’d like to see you try!” I teased.

We headed out and looked around for a mini golf course, and it turned out there were two options, one indoors and the other outdoors. We chose the latter, as the weather was nice and soon enough fall would be in full swing. We had to enjoy the summer sun while it still lasted. We got our golf clubs and golf balls that matched our colors and began a round on the 18-hole course.

“Ever been mini golfing before, Dad?” Purple asked.

“I don’t think so, no.” I answered.

“Ooh, I have a legitimate shot to take you down!”

“Maybe if I went easy on you, kiddo, but I won’t.” I gave Purple a loving noogie. “You can putt first, if you want.”

“I will, thanks.”

The two of us had a great time on the miniature green. I made sure to keep track of the score since we’re a competitive family. While I got lucky when I sunk a hole-in-one–Purple’s shocked expression to that was priceless–my lack of experience, and a couple fives on holes with a par of 3, ultimately did me in and Purple won handily.

“Jeez, Purple,” I sighed as I tapped my ball into the last hole, “how’d you learn to putt like that?”

“I’m not telling you my secrets.” He smirked.

“OK, OK, you got me. I have been beaten.” We returned our clubs to the worker and thanked them for a fun day. As we were leaving the green, I checked my watch. “We got time for something else. Anything else you want to try?”

“What about you, Dad? You’re as much a part of this as I am. Why don’t you pick?”

“Well, actually…” I had eyed something along the way, something I wanted to try. “Hey Purple, remember how I told you to stay young?”

“Yeah…” Purple answered uncertainly.

“Well, I think I should follow my own advice.” I replied. “Ever been go-karting?”

“Oh my gosh, Dad, you really want to try outracing me?”

“I won’t try, I will best you in go-karts, kiddo.” Purple rolled his eyes.

“Just don’t get too upset when you choke on my dust.” Purple jabbed playfully.

“It is not I who will be choking, but you.” I jabbed. Purple laughed.

“Let’s go, Dad.” He insisted, shaking his head. “This is gonna be fun.”

Purple and I raced a few laps on the outdoor go-karts. We were pretty evenly matched for the first several laps until I broke away late and captured first place by a narrow margin. Afterwards, we got a photo of ourselves on a championship podium. I stood tall and proud in first place, while Purple applauded me from second. We got a couple photos of us taken thanks to someone who was willing to take our picture with my phone, and by that time, the evening was drawing closer.

“I’m hungry, Dad. What’s there to eat?” Purple asked.

“I’m not sure. Let’s check one of these maps.” I pointed at a map nearby and we read it, soon finding a restaurant on the way back to our room. We stopped by there, ate a delicious meal, and headed back to our room to unwind. Purple and I sat down on our beds, Purple browsing the TV guide, and I spoke up.

“I hope you enjoyed the day, my little Prince.”

“I did, very much.” He replied, smiling at me. “It was nice to beat you in something, even if it was short lived.” I chuckled.

“I’m so happy to hear that, and we haven’t even scratched the surface of all the activities here.” I explained. “Shall we explore the waterpark tomorrow?”

“Yeah… I suppose…” Purple said distantly. I could sense he was missing Maggie again. I leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder.

“You miss her, don’t you?”

“Was it that obvious?” Purple asked.

“Yeah, kinda.” I admitted. “I know it’s rough, but she’ll be home soon. In the meantime, my little Prince, I hope you enjoy this weekend. It’s for you, after all.” Purple looked up at me, tears filling his eyes.

“Dad, you’re so good to me.” He said. “Thank you so, so much… for everything.”

“Never forget how much I love you, Purple.” I hugged him tight, and he hugged me back. “You’re the greatest son anyone could ask for.”

“You’re the greatest dad I could ask for.”

We spent the evening watching TV together before we turned in for the night, excited for our adventures the next morning.

The next day was Saturday. Purple and I awoke, had ourselves breakfast, got ourselves ready and walked to the outdoor waterpark on the resort. It was a surprisingly warm and sunny day, and there were lots of things to do. Obviously there were things for young kids, a section of the park made for them, but also tube slides and body slides for families and friends to ride on. We had a lot of fun on the slides, even despite the long lines and hot sun. We even found the wave pool, but it wasn’t long before we got hungry again and we needed lunch.

I bought us some ridiculously overpriced concessions–Purple and I suspect that the resort makes more money on those than anything else–and floated down the Lazy River to digest. That was great, just an opportunity to chill with my son, even with the scorching sun beating down on us. After our ride, as we were putting away our inner tubes, Purple spoke up.

“Hey Dad, you’re not getting sunburned, are you? You’re looking a little orange.” We chuckled.

“No, not yet. Wait until I reach a shade of burnt orange. Then ask me.”

“I will.” He paused. “Hey Dad, what’s that?” He pointed at a sign and raced off to it. I followed, and the sign pointed to an area designated for pool sports: water basketball, water volleyball, basically land sports, but in a pool. Knowing how competitive Purple is, I figured he’d want to play.

“Shall we, Purple?” I asked.

“Do you have to ask? Let’s go!” He speed-walked in, and I joined him. We soon engaged in a game of water basketball against a father–a green stick named Hunter–and his son–a bright yellow stick about Purple’s age who introduced himself as Daniel Dexter Lyon, Dan for short–as the mom–an orange stick named Amber–cheered from the side. Thanks to our chemistry, we won, though it was pretty close, and after that first game, several other families joined in. I guess Purple’s energy is infectious. One of the things I love about him. We played for so long I lost track of time, but when Purple finally told me he was hungry again, I realized how late it was. We got ourselves dinner and returned to our room, weary and exhausted from a long day at the waterpark. Purple enjoyed it greatly, and I did as well. Spending time with him, just the two of us, I forgot how much I missed it. We usually hang out with the Gang, so this time, just me and my son, was a special treat.

The next day, Sunday, was rainy and colder, so that limited our options. Still, Purple and I made the most of it. After breakfast, we explored the indoor theme park and found a VR station where sticks could step inside a VR room of sorts and experience events like you were there, and not just as a spectator, but as a player. Purple discovered we could play sports, and he begged me to join him. I had my reservations. I remember the last time I let my son try an interactive VR experience, but there was no waiver that I needed to sign in this case, so I agreed to let him play, just so long as I joined him. If anything was to happen to him, this time, I’d be right beside him to rescue him. I wasn’t making the mistake I made with Gold… Not twice…

Thankfully, the room was accompanied by little more than special, high-tech VR helmets, remotes, and surround sound, much to my relief. We tried several sports, from baseball to soccer to boxing. I handled him easily when it came to boxing, I always have been the superior fighter, but baseball and soccer were a lot closer. I took soccer, having played it as a kid, but baseball was his. My pitching was a bit off, and after he cracked a home run, he was ecstatic, even if it was just VR. I couldn’t help but cheer for him, even though I was the one who gave up the homer. He won baseball easily, but he loved every minute of the whole experience, even the games he lost. Seeing him so happy made my day, week, month, and year. We even played some games on the same team, which made it easier to congratulate him on his successes. It was a lot of fun.

After our VR adventures, we ate lunch and found a few more indoor activities to do, like billiards. We even tried their indoor mini golf course, and Purple beat me even worse than the last game. It was all in fun, though, as our games and playful trash talk usually is. There was even an arcade with a bunch of arcade games, like Skeeball and air hockey, and of course we competed with each other in those. It turned out we were evenly matched in that case, but after a while, the day was almost over.

We ate dinner and returned to our room, as per usual, and relaxed. As I sat down on my bed, Purple spoke up.

“Dad… Thanks for all of this.”

“You’re so, so welcome, my little Prince.” I told him. “I hope you enjoyed it.”

“I did, more than almost anything.” Purple replied. “Thank you so, so much.”

“You’re welcome, kiddo.” We hugged. “Now you should probably get packed. Our flight home is tomorrow.”

“Alrighty, Dad.”

We packed up most of our stuff that evening and turned in early. We woke up early, Monday morning ate breakfast, packed up a few final things of ours and left the resort. It was a great time, a weekend I know I will never forget. We flew back home to Stick City and returned to our humble village.

“Home sweet home!” I sighed. “No place like it, eh, kiddo?”

“Nope, not at all, Dad. I’ve kinda missed it. Speaking of which, I haven’t checked my phone in a couple of days. I wonder what the guys are up to.”

“Who knows? Probably off to some kind of adventure in Minecraft. You know them.” Purple chuckled.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. While I’m here, I can text Maggie. See how she’s doing.”

“I’m sure she’d like that a lot.”

Purple checked his phone as we approached our house. As I got closer, I noticed a piece of paper inside an item frame on our door. I looked at it closely, not realizing Purple had stopped in his tracks until he called me.

“Dad…” He said shakily. I turned around.

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“You’re gonna want to see this text from SC… You’re gonna want to read it, because I… I can’t believe it.”

“We got a letter, too, and it’s from Minecraft.” I took it from the frame, headed inside, and Purple caught up to me. I read the letter, and as I read it, I suddenly realized something. Something about it looked so familiar: the handwriting, the writing style… it was practically unmistakable. Purple must’ve sensed my shock, as he quickly asked about it.

“Dad? You OK?” Purple asked nervously.

“This letter…” I showed it to him. “It’s from my son…”

“Wait, what?” Purple gasped.

“It’s from Gold…” I answered, still in shock. “He’s alive…”

Chapter 12: The News Breaks (Purple)

I looked at Dad in shock and awe, unable to speak, barely able to breathe. I cannot remember ever being so surprised in my life, and judging by Dad’s expression, he was even more flabbergasted than I was. Clearly neither he nor I could believe it, and I couldn’t blame him. He was there to witness Gold’s death, and to suddenly find out he’s alive… I can only imagine the thoughts coursing through his mind. After what felt like an eternity, I finally found my voice.

“You… You’re serious?”

“I can’t believe it…” Dad began, “but yes. It’s clear as day.”

“That explains the text I got. Dad, you’ve got to read this.” I handed Dad my phone.

“You should see the letter, too.” He handed it to me, and I read through it.

“Dear homeowner, I’m hoping this is still the house of Mango Tango. If not then just ignore this. I’ve been trying to come home, and I finally have, but you haven’t been there in a couple of days. I’m intending on trying again tomorrow, but if you’re not there, I’m going to assume you moved. If that is the case, then I’m going to keep looking for you. If not, then I hope to meet back up with you after so long. It’s been so… so long, and I’ve missed you. See you later.”

There was a date on it as well: today’s date. Gold was here and we missed him, but he was returning tomorrow. Dad and I looked at each other, still in shock. I couldn’t fathom how Gold survived judging by Dad’s story, and he clearly couldn’t either. However, there seemed to be no debate as to what we were going to do next.

“The kids… met Gold?” Dad asked.

“I… guess so.” I figured.

“We gotta get in touch with them! ASAP! I-I-I can’t imagine. I mean… how? Where? Why?”

“Believe me, Dad, my brain is overflowing with questions, too. Maybe the guys can shed some light on it.” Dad took several deep breaths.

“Yeah… You’re right, kiddo. Give them a call. Maybe we can video call them.”

“I’d like that greatly.” I agreed, speed dialing Green’s phone. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for Green to answer.

“Purple!” He exclaimed. I put him on speaker.

“Green! Good to hear from ya, buddy! I got you on speaker, and Dad’s here, too.”

“Hi, kids!” Dad called.

“Hey, King!” Green replied.

“Hey, Green…” I began, “we need to talk. Face-to-face. I’m sending you guys a link for a video call. Tell the guys.”

“You got SC’s text, I’d imagine.”

“Yep, and I’ll bet you can also imagine our collective reaction to it.” I reasoned. “I sent you the link, eagerly awaiting your acceptance.”

“Gotcha, bro.” Green then shouted to Yellow. “Yo, Yellow! Grab your laptop! Purple and King… need to talk.”

Dad and I exchanged glances at each other. We didn’t have to wait long at all before the guys joined our online meeting. It was so good seeing the five of them again, especially after the news Dad and I just got.

“Guys!” I exclaimed.

“Hey Purple, King! Good to see you again!” SC complimented.

“You as well, kids.” Dad responded. He then sighed deeply. “I’m sure you know what this is about.”

“My text?” SC guessed. “Listen, King, I’m sorry. We just… didn’t know how to tell you.”

“No need to apologize, SC. I’m glad you told us.” Dad insisted. “We just… don’t know how to react.”

“I was afraid of that.” Red confessed. “Are you guys doing OK?”

“I’m hoping the shock will wear off.” I answered.

“Also, we know for a fact it’s Gold.” Dad confirmed.

“I knew it!” Yellow proclaimed, pumping his fist. “My suspicion was correct!”

“Were you not certain?” I asked. “Did he not tell you his name?”

“He told us his name was AU.” Blue explained. “How did you guys know?”

“We got a message from him.” I explained.

“The handwriting is 100% his.” Dad added.

“I thought he looked familiar,” Green noted, “but I never did place where I saw him.”

“Props to my best buddy for his sleuthing skills.” Blue congratulated, patting Yellow on the back.

“Thanks, buddy.” Yellow replied.

“King, Purple, have you guys crossed paths with Gold as of yet?” SC asked.

“No, not yet.” I replied. “He was clearly here, but I guess we missed him.”

“His letter to us says he’ll drop by tomorrow. We’re not missing him this time.” Dad promised.

“What did he tell you guys? Did he say anything about how he survived? How he got there?” I blitzed out my questions, talking fast like an auctioneer.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, bro.” Green said. I breathed deeply.

“He never told us his story, and when he did mention it, he was extremely vague. I’m sorry.” Red explained, looking deeply regretful.

“How did you find him? Where did you find him?” Dad wondered.

“I found him in a castle deep underground during a friendly competition in Minecraft.” Red elaborated. “We were trying to speedrun the game, and I stumbled upon a secret passage that led me to him.”

“But he didn’t behave similarly to how you perpetually describe him, King.” Yellow added.

“What do you mean, Yellow?”

“Well, you always described Gold as upbeat, optimistic, excitable, things of that nature.” Blue said.

“Yeah, he was nothing of the sort when we met him and helped him back to the Outernet.” SC told us. “He was reserved, cold, kinda emotionless if I may be so blunt. He even called himself ‘AU,’ seemingly to appeal to the mobs.”

“That doesn’t sound like my son.” Dad noted.

“I suggested he grew out of that phase.” Green piped up. “He was living in the darkness among mobs when Red found him, evidently.”

“Wait, really?” I asked. “Whoa…”

“I fear what happened to him in the time since… Well you know…” Red said worriedly.

“Yeah… I know…” Dad replied.

“Do you guys have any more info about him?” I asked.

“Not much. Like we said, he was very reserved and vague.” SC confessed. “We’re sorry we couldn’t be more helpful.”

“No, not at all. Thanks for telling us about it.” Dad said. “I should probably make us dinner. Are you hungry, Purple?”

“Not really, no. This news kinda took everything out of me.” I confessed.

“Me neither.” Dad agreed.

“Well, we hope you reunite with your son.” Blue said. The rest of them nodded in agreement.

“And your half-brother in your case, Purple.” Yellow added.

“Thank you all.” Dad and I replied simultaneously.

“We probably should be going, though.” Dad said sadly.

“OK…” Green sighed. “Wishing you dudes the best.”

“We love you guys!” Red said, waving.

“We love you guys too.” I responded.

“Bye, Purple! King!” SC waved.

“Bye!”

We left the call and I closed the tab. I was still in shock that Gold was alive, and so many thoughts just flooded my mind. However, one of these thoughts stood out more than the rest. I had to ask Dad about it. I wouldn’t be able to sleep regardless.

“Dad… When Gold returns… nothing will change between us, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you adopted me because I reminded you so much of Gold. But with Gold back… does that make me expendable?”

“Oh, Purple…” Dad embraced me. I couldn’t help but cry. “Nothing could be further from the truth. You’re as much my son as Gold is, and you know full well that that’s not the only reason why I adopted you.”

“But what if Gold doesn’t accept me as his half-brother?”

“He’ll accept you. And if he doesn’t… He’ll have to deal with it, because I’m not losing you for anything.”

“Not even Gold?” I asked.

“Not even Gold.” Dad confirmed. “You are truly priceless.” I chuckled.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Despite Dad’s assurance, I still had lingering doubts in the back of my mind, thoughts I had spent so long to get away from. When I was younger, my birth father Navy instilled in me that I had to be a great fighter, that I had to be practically perfect in everything I did, and when I couldn’t meet his expectations, he left me, he left us. I feared the same thing would happen again, that I would not prove myself worthy to Dad when Gold came. I was sure these fears were irrational, but my mind couldn’t help but return to that toxic place. It lingered when I went to bed, and that night proved to be one of the most restless nights in my life.

Chapter 13: Afraid, Abandoned, and Alone (Purple)

I woke up late the next morning and found Dad sitting with Gold at the breakfast table. I figured he arrived early while I was still sleeping and I didn’t hear him. Rubbing my eyes, I approached them, and Dad addressed me.

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

“Morning.” I replied.

“Who’s this, Dad?” Gold asked.

“My adopted son, Purple.” Dad answered.

“Adopted?” I repeated. “You never call me that.”

“Well, it’s true,” Dad explained, “and with Gold back I have to differentiate you two.”

“I guess that makes sense.” I shrugged, checking the pantry for breakfast.

“So, Purple, Dad has told me a lot about you.” Gold began.

“Really? What’d he say?” I asked.

“How much you’ve done for him in the last few years. It’s pretty incredible, not gonna lie.”

“Thanks.” I said sheepishly as I poured myself a bowl of cereal. I took a seat at the table and began eating.

“Oh, Prince, Gold and I were going to take a walk to catch up more.” Dad informed me. “You can join us if you want.”

“Oh, I’d love to.”

“Great! We’re leaving now.” Dad said.

“Wait, what?”

Before I could say anything else, Dad and Gold rose from the table and headed out the door. I found it very odd, Dad leaving without me like that, but I figured he wanted to reunite with his son. I left my breakfast behind and raced outside after them, eventually catching up.

“What’s the rush?” I asked breathlessly. “You got all sorts of time to catch up.”

“Oh, sorry, Purple.” Gold apologized. “You’ve had two years with him. I have to know what he’s been doing in all that time.”

“Oh, do Dad and I have a story to tell…” I began.

“Actually, Purple, I was hoping I could hear it from Dad.” Gold interrupted. I was taken aback.

“Oh… OK… Sorry…” I apologized, very embarrassed.

“It’s fine, Purple.” Dad said. “Just… Let me take over.”

“OK…”

“I think it mostly started after I lost you…” Dad began.

I stopped listening afterwards, feeling more and more invisible. I didn’t even talk, I just lagged behind Dad and Gold as Dad told his story–our story–himself. Everything from the Battle for Minecraft to our fight with Vic to crossing Flodge and Dark. He didn’t even mention how I found a girlfriend over the summer, making me feel more and more self-conscious and ignored. My mind raced, and most of my thoughts were negative and self-degrading. Eventually, we stopped and headed home. Dad and Gold stopped and turned around.

“Oh, Purple.” Dad said when he noticed me lagging behind. “Forgive me, I was too distracted by my son to notice.”

“Yeah… your son…” I replied distantly. “As if I’m not your son…” I muttered this last bit under my breath.

We headed home, I still lagged behind more and more. I felt like Gold was taking my dad away from me, and I already lost an important father figure in my life. Except that time, I know Dark Blue never loved me. But my adopted dad… we’ve been through so much but now, I’m being put on the back burner in his life, too. I could feel my heart slowly break, being abandoned yet again. I couldn’t take it.

We soon returned home, I was hanging my head so low I felt like I was touching the ground. Dad and Gold entered home first, but as Gold was stepping inside, Dad stopped.

“Hang on, Gold. I gotta get the mail.” He called.

“Sure thing, Dad. I’ll wait for you.”

As Dad ran right toward me, I realized. I had to do something. I had barely felt more ignored or invisible in my life, especially from my adopted dad. I’ve always been the light of his life before, but now, with Gold here, it’s like he never needed me. It’s like I never became his son. I had to mention it. I had to stop this.

“Dad, hold on… What’s going on? You’ve never treated me like this before. Not since… before you adopted me.”

My question seemingly fell on deaf ears, and then he ran… right through me. It was almost as if I didn’t exist, like I was a ghost. I was shocked and I watched him grab the mail from the mailbox. He didn’t seem like anything was wrong. He just grabbed the mail and returned inside, once again walking through me. I remained frozen and looked at my hands. I could see myself, but somehow… Dad didn’t?

“OK, Gold, fire up the TV! We can watch movies and catch up all night!”

‘Movies?’ I thought. ‘That’s something Dad and I do… together…’

“Face it, Purple.” I heard a voice behind me say. I turned around and Green was suddenly there.

“Green? Where did you-” Green cut me off.

“King doesn’t need you any more, bro.”

“Wh- What do you mean?” I asked, tears filling his eyes.

“You’re expendable, buddy, like week-old leftovers.” I heard another voice. I turned and saw Blue on my side.

“Expendable?” I repeated.

“Dispensable.” Said another voice. Yellow was on my other side. “Replaceable. Unnecessary. Unneeded.”

“Unneeded?” I repeated again.

“King’s got Gold now.” I saw Red across from Green, all four of them surrounding me. “You did your job. He doesn’t want you any more.”

“Reddy Bear, don’t say that… Please…” I felt tears flowing down my face.

“Why not?” SC appeared between Green and Blue. “You’re not his family. You were never his family. You don’t share blood or DNA like King and Gold do. Heck, like the rest of us do.”

“Rest of you? What do you-” I stopped when I realized the other guys were SC’s orange shade. “Wha- What happened to you guys?”

“We’re a family.” SC answered. “Unlike you ever were.”

“You never were. You never were.” They all chanted, their words ringing in my ears like cymbals. I crouched down, burying my head in my hands, weeping uncontrollably.

“Stop! Please! Make it stop!” I begged. I could feel my world collapsing around me, and I wasn’t being metaphorical. Chunks of the Outernet seemed to drop into a black void, as if everything was falling into a black hole. “No! NO! Please! Stop this!” I cried, but it was too late. The world was crumbling, and it wasn’t long before the piece I was standing on dropped underneath me, the guys falling into the abyss. I clung for dear life onto the edge of the ground, unable to pull myself up. “Someone! Anyone! Help me! Don’t leave me! Not again!”

“I was right to leave you.” said a cold, dark voice I recognized. I looked up and saw Navy, Gold, and… King, my dad, on the ledge above me. My biological father was the one talking, though I wished he wouldn’t. “What a pathetic excuse for a son.”

“You did your job, Purple.” Gold mocked. “Dad doesn’t need you any more.” I looked up at my adopted dad, through my tear-stained eyes.

“Dad… Please…”

“I’ve found someone else, Purple… Someone worth your weight in Gold.” My adopted father scoffed. With that, he kicked me off the edge, leaving me to drop into the dark, eternal void. I let out a final scream.

“DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!!!!”

I suddenly found myself sitting up on my bed, the friendly confines of my bedroom surrounding me. I looked around the dark room, my mind spinning, my palms sweating, my heart pounding practically out of my chest. A thin beam of moonlight shone through a crack in my curtains. I didn’t understand what was happening at first. ‘Where am I?’ I thought. ‘What happened? What’s going on? Is this… my bedroom? How did I get here?’ Instantly, King–er, Dad–burst in through the door.

“Purple! What happened?”

“Dad?” I gasped.

“I heard you scream. Are you OK? What’s going on? Are you hurt?”

It suddenly made sense. The entire thing was just a dream, a nightmare, a small taste of my worst fears being realized. It was horrible.

“Dad!” I leapt up from my bed and embraced him, tears flowing down my face. He hugged me back. “I just experienced one of the worst nightmares I’ve ever had… It felt so real… I… I…” I stuttered.

“Shhhh… It’s OK now, it’s OK.” I felt Dad’s warm embrace, his hands running up and down my back to soothe me. “Want to talk about it over cocoa?” Dad’s relaxing voice comforted me, and I started to calm down.

“Yeah… I’d like that.”

I joined him in the kitchen while Dad heated up two mugs of cocoa in the microwave, something his dad did for him when he was my age, Dad told me, when Dad was stressed about various things in his younger years. Once the cocoa was done, mine with extra marshmallows, we took our mugs and sat down together on the couch, sipping and blowing on them. I explained everything about my nightmare, from start to end, and he listened silently and intensely, and the more I explained, the more ridiculous I realized my fears were.

“That’s when I woke up.” I finished. “It was all my greatest fears all at once. I lost my family, I lost my friends… I lost you. It’s stupid I know…”

“Oh, Purple… my little Prince…” Dad extended his arms, and I hugged him, breaking down in tears once again. “It’s not stupid. Considering all you’ve been through, it’s very understandable. But it’s OK now. It’s OK. It’s over, it was only a dream, a nightmare.”

“It felt so real, though…” I cried. “I was abandoned… I was alone… I don’t want to be back there, Dad. I’m not sure I could handle it…”

“Purple, I promise, I PROMISE you this… No matter how it goes with Gold, I will never abandon you. I will never ditch you. I will never EVER kick you to the curb in favor of Gold. You are as much my son as he is.” Dad breathed deeply, and I did as well.

“I’m not expendable?” I asked.

“You never were, and never will be. I didn’t adopt you to be a Gold replacement. I adopted you because you made me realize what I was becoming: the very thing I swore to destroy. You gave me a chance to start over, you make my life so much better, and I am infinitely blessed because of you.” I looked up at Dad through my tear-stained eyes, and I could see his amber-colored eyes well up with tears. “Remember what I told you at the resort? You’re the best son I could ask for. I meant it when I said it, and I still mean it now.”

“But… What if Gold doesn’t accept me? What if he actively resents me?”

“I didn’t raise him to be resentful, but if he does mistreat you… I’ll have to teach him respect, forcibly if I have to.” Dad swore. “Nothing is coming between us, and if Gold doesn’t respect his brother, then I am prepared to fight for you.” I wiped my eyes.

“His brother?” I asked. “Not half-brother or anything?”

“Never forget how much you mean to me, Purple. You’re my son, no matter what anyone says. Bloodlines don’t matter, DNA doesn’t matter, what matters is our love for each other… and the adoption papers that make it official.” I laughed. “Nonetheless, that love we share makes us more father and son than shared genes or biology can ever do.”

“Thanks, Dad. That means so, so much to me.” I hugged him again, and he hugged me back.

“And may you never forget that you’re part of a much greater family,” Dad added, “a family with a Father who loves us both more than we could possibly imagine. A Father who makes his dwelling right here.” He let go of me and put a soft, gentle hand over my heart. A grabbed his hand and held it. “People might abandon us, loved ones will pass on, friends and family won’t always be there to support. However, there is One who will never EVER leave. Never forget you’re His child as well as mine.” I looked at him and started crying tears of joy.

“Thanks, Dad. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. I love you so, so much.”

“Let it be known that you mean the universe to me… and your Heavenly Father loves you, so much so His Son died on a cross for you. There is no greater love than that, laying down His life for his friends.” Dad quickly noogied me and kissed me on the head. “It’s late, my little Prince. Shall we hit the sack?”

“Yeah.” Dad and I got up. I dried my eyes. “Oh, and Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks. For everything.” I could see tears in Dad’s eyes.

“You’re welcome, kiddo.”

We both went to bed and woke up the next morning. I was still a little sleep-deprived from the rough night, but Dad made us a great breakfast that picked us both up. As we were cleaning up, we heard a knock at the door. We looked at each other and we both figured we knew who it was. Dad answered the door, I joined him, and sure enough, standing in front of us was none other than Dad’s lost son… the one and only Gold.

Chapter 14: Gold's Story (King)

I never would’ve believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but it was true. I opened the door, Purple right behind me, and standing on the porch in front of me was none other than my son, Gold. I almost didn’t recognize him, it’s been several years, but there was no mistaking it. Any father should be able to recognize his son, and right out the gate, I knew who it was.

We stared at each other with shocked expressions. I was floored at the fact that he was alive, and I stood there, breathless, but after a long moment, I finally got some oxygen to enter my lungs and my heart to resume beating before I literally passed out. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. This was no dream. I didn’t think it was, at least.

“Gold?” I asked. “I- Is this real?”

“Dad…” Gold said, “I think it’s real.”

“Gold!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. I felt tears pouring down my face. “Oh my gosh I cannot believe it! I thought I lost you!”

“I thought I lost you too, Dad.” Gold replied. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You have no idea, Gold! I’ve missed you so, so much!” I cried.

“I’ve missed you too, Dad.”

“Where were you? How did you survive? Why didn’t you come sooner?”

“Dad, Dad, one question at a time, please.” Gold answered. I looked at him and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“Sorry, Gold, I just… I’ve missed you terribly, it’s been so, so long… We need to catch up.”

“I agree.”

“Come in, come in!” I insisted. “You can meet your brother!” I led him inside.

“My brother?” Gold repeated. “H- How? Mom passed away when I was born, you told me.”

“I’ll explain further.” I promised. “Purple, say hi to Gold.”

“Hi, Gold.” Purple said, a little nervous. He was looking as surprised as I was at Gold, eyes wide, mouth open, I could only imagine what was going through his mind.

“No need to be shy, Purple.” I said comfortingly.

“Sorry, Dad. You recall the nightmare I had…”

“Yeah, I know, but as I told you, it’s gonna be OK.” I assured him. “Gold, meet your brother, Purple.”

“He’s not a shade of orange.” Gold noted.

“I’m his adopted son,” Purple explained, “your half-brother, I suppose.”

“But, Gold, you have to tell us. What happened to you? After the Incident?”

“Us?” Gold asked. “Dad, why does this… Purple… have to hear this?”

“Because he’s your brother, and you will treat him as so.” I answered sternly. Gold sighed.

“If you insist, Dad.” Gold rolled his eyes.

“I can excuse myself, Dad.” Purple suggested.

“No, not at all, Purple.” I insisted. “You’re part of my family. You should hear this story as well.”

“OK…” Gold began. We all took seats on the furniture, and Gold spun his tale.

“Well, I’m sure you remember that night, the infamous night we lost each other.” I nodded, still remembering that moment like it was yesterday. “Well, in that sense, I was lost. My body was destroyed, but my soul, my consciousness, was still intact. I was practically nothing more than a ghost, trapped inside a black void until the game rebooted and I found myself back to where I was: The plains where my body died. I was still in there, but I couldn’t escape or do anything to piece together my body… so I thought.

“I tried anything I could do to access the game’s code. I slipped into the ground, high and low, anywhere I could. I even tried possessing various mobs, like zombies and skeletons, to do my job for me. That moment was when things changed for me.”

“How so?” I asked.

“I learned that Minecraft mobs are far more than what they appear to be on the surface. They are not mindless, soulless robots following their programming. They are real… things that should be treated like people. They’re just trying to do what they can to survive the tyranny of players, that’s all. Anyway, while possessing them, I was able to grab, pick up, and move objects in a more efficient way that I couldn’t do as just a soul. I used this to dig up the ground, attempting to find code, but all my efforts were fruitless.

“I was almost at the end of my rope, about to throw in the towel, when I saw something happen. Everything began getting sucked in some direction, like a giant vacuum was sucking the world up, but it wasn’t just the world that was being destroyed. The game itself, its code, its mechanics, all that stuff, it too began floating in front of me. Luckily for me, this was happening during nighttime, so I took hold of a zombie and began picking bits and pieces of myself out of the code. It was a near impossible task, as not only did I have few opportunities to literally find myself, but I also had to fight this weird vacuum effect of sorts. However, I needed the zombie. Being just a soul, I couldn’t grab objects. I needed a host, a physical body to do physical things for me, which is why I took control of various mobs. Somehow, piece by piece, I found chunks of my body and picked them out of the game’s code, but as I realized the suction was too powerful, I thought I was a goner, done for good.”

Purple and I exchanged glances again. We both knew that it was me that caused that destruction, but obviously Gold didn’t. However, what he did notice was the look we shared.

“You OK, Dad?” Gold asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Please, continue.”

“Well, like I was saying, I thought I was going to perish completely, but somehow, before the zombie I possessed got sucked into oblivion, everything reversed for reasons I cannot comprehend, like nothing even happened. During that reversal, I managed to swipe the last piece of me that I needed from the code. I had everything I needed, I just needed to reassemble myself, and though that took longer than I’d like to admit, I put myself back together with the help from the zombie I possessed and a tree that blocked sunlight. I was back.

“Once my body was complete, my soul returned into it, and I eventually regained control of myself, my body, but one loose end still remained: My zombie friend. Without him, I never would’ve gotten my body back, so instead of attacking him, I managed to tame him, naming him Zach. He recognized me, considering I was inside of him, and Zach became a loyal confidant and servant as well. I taught him how to fight, and he taught me how to communicate and work with other mobs, all of which I managed to tame and recruit for my team. However, I had no idea how to return home, the Outernet, and the day would soon be upon us. I had to do something, I had to protect my new friends.

“During a journey through a snowy wasteland, I stumbled upon a cave I figured would prove sufficient to take shelter in. I led them inside and told them to wait while I got tools, materials, and the like. I had to learn the entire game from experience, and I did, everything from food mechanics to Redstone physics. However, our cave was far too small for an ever-increasing horde of mobs, so I dug deeper, making a staircase leading to a massive cave. ‘This was perfect,’ I thought at the time, ‘I can build a castle here and hide my mobs from the evil eye of players that may wander the woods above, but I might need more protection, though.’

“I created an elaborate piston system with the Redstone and iron in the cave to make our base a lot more hidden. It was made to look like a wall, only accessible by a secret button, and from what I could tell, it worked. My mobs and I were undisturbed, and I spent most of my time trying to develop a portal, a passage, something to get home, but nothing I did worked. Sadly, my mobs didn’t know either, but they did try to help. They were given tasks, some were on food duty, ravaging villages for food and potential resources, others were builders, trying to assemble the portal, but no luck. I must’ve spent… years down in that cave until a friend of yours… Red, found me. From there, he and his friends showed me how to get home through the Nether, their home and finally, the Outernet, eventually coming here.”

“Wow, Gold… What a story.” Purple gasped in awe.

“Thanks… I guess…” Gold said insincerely.

“I… I never would've guessed.” I stated. “I’m amazed, Gold, your ingenuity, your drive… I’m so proud.”

“Thanks, Dad, but what happened to you?” Gold asked. “What’s your story?”

“A tragic one, I have to admit.” I answered. “Losing you broke me to my core. I was so angry, so vengeful, so hurt… I had to avenge you. I made a weapon to destroy Minecraft, to avenge you. It was going to pay with its life for taking yours. I would’ve succeeded in my goal… Until Purple fought through my weapon to reach me. He showed me what I was becoming, what I was doing to you. He almost sacrificed his life to get through to me, and I saw you in him. I chased him down, he saved my life, and in the end, after his friends reversed the damage I caused, I adopted him. He’s been my son ever since, and I owe a lot to him.” I finished. “We’ve been on several adventures since, but that’s the gist of it.”

“Dad, I… I never knew you to be the vengeful type.” Gold confessed.

“I’m not. Well, not usually.” I shrugged. “Mess with my son, all bets are off.”

“But I have to ask… Why did you adopt Purple and not come after me?” I paused, taken aback by Gold’s question.

“I… I thought you were dead, and you were. You were destroyed. If I had known there was a chance you survived, then I would’ve gone after you.”

“OK, then,” Gold figured, nodding, “so what’s the idea of adopting someone else? Was I not enough for you?” His temper rose.

“Gold, that’s not what this is in the slightest.” I stated tersely. “You meant the world to me, and you still do, but Purple gave me the opportunity to start my life over with him. He showed me a better path, a better life, a way to push through my heartbreak, and he’s done exactly that.”

“Uh huh, sure.” Gold quipped. Judging by his tone, he didn’t believe me in the slightest. “Dad, I was in there! My soul was still in existence! All you had to do was look! And instead, not only do you nearly destroy me, you find someone else. You replaced me with… this guy?”

“Gold, I will not have you speaking to Purple or me in that manner.” I retaliated. “First, I thought you were dead. And you were! Your body was annihilated, lost in the code. There was practically no way I could’ve saved you. Second, I literally summoned a black hole and tried destroying worlds from the inside out because of my love for you! Stick figures are not expendable, replaceable, or anything of the sorts. I didn’t adopt Purple to replace you. I adopted him because he showed me the error of my ways, he made me realize I was hurting innocent people, including you.”

“I could’ve done that for you… if you came looking for me!” Gold shouted. “But nooooo, you had to find someone else, my supposed ‘brother,’ nothing more than an impostor, a fraud, a fake, a pathetic excuse for a son.”

I looked over at Purple, and I could see tears filling his eyes. Gold was crossing the line attacking my little Prince, and I was not going to let Gold continue this abuse, and then there was his last line. That was the exact same thing Purple’s dad told him before he left, Purple told me. I was not going to let this stand.

“Gold, that’s enough! I will not have you treating your brother, my son, like this! Either you learn some respect or you can get out of my house!”

“You’re kicking me out?” Gold scoffed.

“Yes. Your comments to Purple were far out of line, hateful, and disrespectful. Now get out until you learn to treat Purple and me with common courtesy.”

“But- But I’m your son!” Gold protested.

“I didn’t raise my son to be so disrespectful.” I said coldly. “You can come back home when my real son returns.”

“Real son? I am your real son!”

“My real son isn't so resentful.” I said tersely and flatly.

Gold looked offended at this, but grunted angrily and stormed out of the house. I watched him leave and followed him, stopping in the doorway. As he stood outside, he turned and shouted at me. “I can’t believe you’d choose Purple over me!”

“I love you both, but until you accept him into our family, I can’t accept you into mine, I’m afraid.” I paused for a moment, tears filling my eyes. I felt like I was disowning my son, and the guilt weighed heavy on my heart. “I’m sorry…”

“Yeah, sure you are… Mango Tango.” Gold mocked.

I felt my heart break when Gold called me by name, fearing that something else was going to drive us apart. But I couldn’t abandon Purple, nor could I let him endure this abuse. We’ve been through too much, we mean too much to each other for me to do that. He’s my son as much as Gold is, so I tried extending an olive branch to Gold, hoping he would take it.

“If you ever accept Purple as your brother, you know where to find me.”

Gold said nothing in response, instead turning and walking away. I sighed deeply and sadly, closed the door and sat next to Purple. I could tell he was crying, and I had to comfort him.

“Purple, I… I’m so, so sorry. I never imagined he would react that way to meeting you.”

“It’s not your fault, Dad.” Purple said through tears. “I appreciate you willing to stand up for me. It feels so weird to me to have a father figure who defends me.”

“Like I told you, Purple, nothing is coming between us.”

“But… Your son…”

“He’ll come around, I promise.” I assured him. Purple looked up at me through tear-stained eyes. “And if he doesn’t, he’s not a part of this family.”

“Dad, I can’t just sit idly by as you disown your son.” Purple swore. “I was disowned myself, and I’m not letting anyone else go through that heartbreak.” I smiled at him.

“First, I’m not disowning him. He is welcome to come back once he learns to treat you with respect.” I clarified. “Second… Thanks, Purple. Just promise me you won’t get heartbroken in the process, OK?”

“I’ll be fine, just so long as I have you in my life.”

“Trust me, Purple, you’ll have me in your life until I die.” Purple chuckled lightly.

“Thanks, Dad. I love you so much.” He hugged me, and I hugged him back.

“I love you, too.” I replied. “I just hope Gold can come to realize that I love him as well.”

Chapter 15: Getting Away... Again (Purple)

I could do little else but cry for a while. Gold’s comments stung deeply, especially since he whipped out the same phrase Navy used when he left me and Mom. Dad sat next to me on the couch as I let my tears flow, his soft, gentle voice trying to comfort me. I never wanted this to happen, and I could only imagine how Dad was taking all of this. He had to kick his own son out of the house… and for what? For me? A part of me didn’t feel worthy of it, but I guess that’s how much Dad loves me. And he’s not the only one. As I dried my eyes, I heard the trapdoor open.

“Purple?” Green’s voice said from the trapdoor. “Are you OK, bro?” I glanced over at the trapdoor.

“Green?” I wondered.

“It’s not just him.” SC said, poking his head up through the open door.

“It’s all of us!” Red exclaimed.

“We raced over here faster than a game of bullet chess.” Yellow assured.

“How are you doing, buddy?” Blue asked.

“Oh, guys…” I cried. The Gang climbed into the living room and hugged me. “What are you doing here?”

“Your dad texted us.” Green answered. I looked at him.

“Dad?”

“Just a little reminder of how much you’re loved.” He told me.

“Thanks, Dad.” I said tearfully. “You’re the best.” The guys released me.

“We knew we had to come ASAP.” SC added. “I’m so, so sorry…”

“Thanks, SC, but it’s not your fault.” I assured him. “I’m more worried about Dad at this point. That was your son. I know how much he means to you.”

“He’ll come around…” Dad said. “I hope…”

“Dad, I’m not letting you lose him because of me.” I promised.

“And I’m not letting him do that to you.” Dad replied. “You’ve been through enough heartbreak.”

“You think Gold will come back?” Green asked.

“What if he doesn’t?” Red wondered nervously. “Your son…”

“I’m hoping he just needs time to cool off.” Dad replied. “And if he doesn’t…”

“King, whatever you and Purple need, we’ll be here for you.” Blue said.

“100% of the way.” Yellow added.

“Thanks, kids.” Dad said, breathing deeply. “Purple, why don’t you go with them. I think it’d be best to get away… again.”

“Are you coming with me, Dad?”

“I need to stay in case Gold comes back. Plus, I need time to figure out what I’m going to do in case of the worst-case scenario. The kids will help take your mind off things… If only temporarily.” Dad figured.

I looked at the guys, and they nodded in agreement. As much as I didn’t want to leave Dad, maybe he was right. Maybe spending a few hours with my friends–my family–would be beneficial to me and help get these lingering doubts out of my mind.

“OK, Dad.” I said. Green opened the trapdoor.

“Love you kids.” Dad called after us.

“Love you too, Dad.”

The six of us stepped through the trapdoor, the portal in the basement, and finally back to ALANSPC. None of us said a word on the way back, the mood just seemed too serious for any of us to know what to say, but upon our return, Blue spoke up.

“It’s almost lunchtime, guys. Can I make you anything? Purple? It might do you some good.” I looked at Blue’s kind, diamond-colored eyes, and I smiled at him.

“Surprise me, Blue. Just hold the Netherwart.” I joked. He chuckled.

“I shall make you guys my specialty.” Blue said. “It shall be done shortly.” He dropped down to the taskbar and took off.

“So, Purple, you’re our guest.” SC began. “What do you want to do?”

“Do you have games? Perhaps doing something will take my mind off things.” I said distantly. Yellow must’ve noticed my tone.

“You feeling sufficient, Purple?” He asked.

“Well… I had this nightmare last night. It was awful. As soon as Gold got here, I became… invisible to Dad. Everything, my whole world, literally collapsed around me. I lost my family, my dad… You guys…” I paused to take a breath. “My biggest fears… the pain of rejection… It was just so overwhelming.”

“Oh, Purple…” Red hugged me. I hugged him back.

“Purple, I promise, the guys and I… We will never abandon you.” Green assured me. Red released me.

“I know.” I said gently. “Thanks guys. Dad’s also been a great support. He was willing to listen and talk with me last night and he rushed to my defense even now.”

“He loves you, Purple.” SC replied. “And so do we.”

“And I love you guys, too. You all are helping some negative, toxic thoughts out of my mind.” I confessed appreciatively. “You should’ve heard what Gold said to me…”

“What did he say?” Red asked. I had to choke back tears.

“I can’t repeat it. It hurts too deep, but let’s just say… He reminded me of my father… of Navy.” I answered.

“Oh my, Purple…” SC said apologetically. “I’m so, so sorry.” I looked up at him.

“Thanks, buddy.” I replied. “I just never expected that from him.”

“Did he possess a reason for that reaction?” Yellow asked. “Did he ever explain his logic?”

“He thinks that I’m replacing him as Dad’s son, even though Dad made it abundantly clear that wasn’t the case.”

“Jeez, dude, sounds serious…” Green admitted.

“That’s an understatement.” I agreed, nodding. “I’m grateful for Dad, coming to my defense, but my heart breaks for him. He had to kick his own son out of the house, someone who meant the world to him, someone he thought was dead, someone he hasn’t seen in years.”

“Your dad loves you and cares for you deeply.” SC said. “And I doubt anything could ever change that.”

“I know. It’s just…” I sighed deeply. “A part of me feels unworthy compared to his flesh and blood. I know it’s nothing more than a lie, I know it should be ignored and discarded, but I’ve been told that I was unworthy for years by Navy, a different father figure, and that toxicity is back.”

“It can be difficult to escape a mental rut.” Yellow sympathized. “My advice: Examine all King has done for you. He has battled for you, he has adored you, he has been everything you could ask for, exceedingly so, I believe. Then obtain those lies and terminate them before they begin.” I nodded.

“Thanks, Yellow. That’s some sound advice.” I agreed.

“Hey, Reddy Bear, you’ve been quiet.” Green noted. “Something on your mind, bro?” I looked over at him, and he was sheepishly staring at the ground. Before Red could answer, Blue ran up to us so quickly I assumed he took a Swiftness potion.

“Lunch is ready, guys!” He proclaimed. “Anyone hungry?”

What followed were multiple variants of the word “Yes,” from each of us, all except Red, who was looking more downtrodden than ever. We all looked at him.

“Reddy Bear?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” He snapped, walking past us.

“No… You’re not fine.” SC protested. “Red…”

“I’M FINE!” Red interrupted, storming off. As he left, I overheard him mutter under his breath, “I made this mistake. I will fix it. Gold will pay for what he did, for attacking my family, and he’ll pay dearly.”

Chapter 16: Ther-Red-py Dog

Purple

The guys and I watched as Red stomped into their shared house. Something was clearly messing with him, but what that was was anyone’s guess. After a brief pause, Blue spoke up.

“OK…” He said slowly. “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing much, just us talking.” I answered. “And then Red just… Oh no…”

“What’s up, bro?” Green asked.

“I overheard Red saying that Gold will pay dearly for what he did. And I don’t think he means it in the sense of pay off a debt.”

“You don’t think Red would…” SC began.

“Are you kidding, SC?” Yellow quipped. “It’s Red. Are you aware of how viciously he fights for his family? He’d practically go to war for us if it meant keeping us protected.”

“The nerd’s right.” Green agreed. Yellow rolled his eyes. “Red would do anything for us, and considering Purple couldn’t even repeat what Gold said to him, how he was reminded of Navy… It must’ve been harsh, to say the least.”

“It was.” I confirmed. “You don’t think Red feels responsible for this, do you?”

“Red was the first one to agree to help him.” SC added. “It’s possible… it’s likely.”

“Multiplying those factors–the responsibility he feels and what he said to you, Purple–that makes a product that is very negative.” Yellow theorized.

“I agree with Yellow.” Blue said, nodding. “We’ve got to stop Red before he does something we all regret.”

That was enough for us. The five of us bolted for the shared house and scoured the rooms and the house’s surroundings, only to realize Red wasn’t there. Somehow, he slipped past us, though it didn’t take us long to find out how he did it.

“Guys! I found something!” Blue called from his bedroom. We all joined him in a rather messy room, potions and bottles were tossed all over the place, like a tornado blew through his room and none of the others.

“Jeez, Blue, you never struck me as a slob.” I noted.

“I’m not!” Blue protested. “My room has been ransacked, presumably by Red.”

“That’s an understatement, buddy.” Yellow said, nodding.

“Is there anything missing, Blue?” SC asked. “Perhaps that will give us some clues as to where Red went.”

“Help me clean up and then maybe I can figure it out.”

“Can do, bro.” Green agreed. The rest of us pitched in organized Blue’s potions, putting them back on shelves and chests.

“I’m missing two.” Blue said after we finished.

“Which two?” I asked. “Did you label them?”

“Why would I need to label something when it tells me what it is when I touch it?” Blue quipped. He then sighed deeply. “Sorry for snapping. I’m just a bit wound up.” He did a quick head count of his potions. “I believe I’m missing… Invis and Swiftness.”

“That would explain how Red eluded our gaze!” Yellow proclaimed. “He turned himself invisible and zipped out of here.”

“We’ve got to follow him.” SC insisted. “Hopefully we can find him before he reaches Gold.”

“He’s got a head start and drank a Speed potion.” Green figured. “Do we have a shot at reaching him?”

“Yes.” Blue answered, reaching behind his shelf of potions. “I keep these secret in case of an emergency. This is definitely an emergency.” He whipped out a Splash Potion of Swiftness Level V and slammed it on the ground. Instantly we all got super speed for a lengthy period of time.

“Excellent, Blue!” Yellow shouted. “Shall we head through King’s portal or the long way?”

“The long way.” I suggested. “I don’t want Dad to worry.”

“I got our elytra.” SC said. “Let’s fly guys!”

“I just hope we’re not too late. I don’t want Gold to get hurt.” I admitted as we zoomed to the portal directly to the Outernet.

“Really?” Green asked. “Even after all he said to you?”

“Like it or not, he’s my brother. We share the same father, after all.” I elaborated. “And you remember the last time Dad thought he lost his son. Nearly killed all of us and Minecraft as a whole was nearly destroyed.”

“He wouldn’t go that far again… Would he?” Blue asked.

“I doubt that, but then again, you don’t want to come in the way of a grieving father.” I replied. “Especially one as capable as Dad.” We all nodded in agreement.

Soon after, we crossed over into the Outernet, and from there, we put on our elytra and took off for our village, hoping to find Gold before Red did. Goodness knows what would happen to him if Red got to him first.

Red

I stormed away from my friends, regrets and guilt clouding my mind. I had to do something. I had to atone for my mistake, I had to fix things, and I was dead set on it no matter what. I knew what I was going to do, but I also knew the guys would never understand me or let me do this. I had to sneak away, and thankfully, Blue had already made my ticket out. I entered his room and dug through various chests, finally finding the potions I needed: Swiftness and Invis. I chugged both, and just in time, too. The guys burst into the house just as I was making my getaway, swiping my elytra from my room and pocketing it. From there, I raced to the Outernet portal and made it there undetected. From there, it was just a matter of finding Gold.

‘He would pay for treating Purple like that.’ I thought. ‘He messed with my family. Anyone who does that is gonna meet the Wolf’s sickles.’

I made it to the Outernet easily with our portal in the corner and once there, I put my elytra on and flew off. The potions were about to wear off, but that didn’t matter. They’d done their job. Now I had to find Gold. I didn’t know where to look fully, but I figured King’s village was a good place to start. If Gold wanted to get home, it makes sense for him to be there, or at the very least nearby. Then again, he made it from the city to the village, so he could be just about anywhere at this point, but I had no other leads. It was worth a shot.

I flew high above the small village, scanning the area for something, anything, that stood out. Thankfully, I found it quickly, a structure that had to be Gold’s: A deepslate house. Considering I found him in a deepslate castle, there was no other person that this could belong to. I lowered to the ground, landing on the grass on the side of the house, and was prepared to confront him for what he did to my friend, Purple, but before I could, I heard Gold’s voice from inside.

“I can’t believe Dad left me… And for what? For Purple? What does Purple have to offer that I don’t have? I’m his son! His own flesh and blood! And yet he didn’t come for me… when I needed him most. Did I mean that little to him? Was all the time and affection he had for me nothing more than a lie? Was I just expendable to him?” I could hear a mix of anger, pain, and despair in his voice. He continued, “I worked so hard, I tried so desperately to get home, to get my father back, and when I do, I find out he’s moved on with someone else…” I could hear him start to cry. “I just wanted my father back. Is that too much to ask for? It’s been so long, and I loved him so dearly… But if he has moved on, maybe I should as well.”

My anger toward him suddenly evaporated, and I could feel my heart break for him. I realized that underneath that hard, cold shell was a soft, shattered heart that yearned for his dad. He clearly wanted to make amends, but found it hard to with Purple now in King’s life. Perhaps a mediator was needed, a therapy dog of sorts. If an adorable cartoon puppy could help bridge the gap between a couple of cartoon cats and exes, maybe I could do the same. The more I thought about it, though, the more ridiculous it sounded, but Gold needed something, someone to help him. Why couldn’t it be me?

I cautiously rounded the house and knocked on the door, not totally sure of what to say or do outside of being myself. Hopefully I could get through to him, though a part of me was skeptical. It was worth a shot, if it meant I could help a friend. Gold peeked at me through the door window.

“Red?”

“Hi there… Gold… If you don’t mind me calling you that. May I come in?” He sighed deeply.

“Sure, I guess…” He shrugged, opening the door. I stepped inside the small house. It was pretty empty, barely anything outside of the bare essentials: A furnace, a bed, a small table and chairs. It was very dark, no light sources at all, but there were a few windows made of black stained glass. I supposed he got used to living in the dark for so long he wanted some shelter from the light. I took a seat in one of the chairs.

“How are you doing, Gold?” I asked. He sat across from me.

“How do you think?” He shot back. “My dad ditched me.”

“I’m sure that’s not the case.”

“Of course you don’t. You’re his friend… and Purple’s. You’re obviously going to vouch for them.”

“I’m your friend too, aren’t I?” I asked. He paused, not knowing how to answer me. “Aren’t I? I mean, I helped bring you back home.”

“I suppose you did that for me.” Gold agreed. “I just never expected for my own father to betray me like that.” I breathed deeply, trying to find the words.

“I can’t speak for your father,” I began, “but I feel like he would agree with me on this: He loves both of his sons more than anything else in the world, and he wants nothing more than you back in his life.” I paused for a moment. “I don’t know all the ins and outs of your relationship before… the Incident… but from what I’ve heard, from what King has said about you, you clearly mean the world to him. You and Purple both. I mean, losing you broke him, fractured him, decimated him so deeply he was willing to destroy Minecraft from the inside out, as well as all of us, to avenge you. But I’m sure your dad already told you that.”

“He did, yes.” Gold confirmed.

“Regardless, the point still stands. He couldn’t handle your loss. It metaphorically, rhetorically, poetically and theoretically killed him. And I’m sure you coming back after three years only to resent his adopted son is breaking his heart once more. I’m deeply worried for him, and for you as well. He loves you more than words can describe, and he hasn’t replaced you.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Did he tell you why he adopted Purple?” I asked. Gold gave this thought.

“Yeah…”

“Did it involve replacing you?” Gold paused again, allowing me to go on. “Because I’ve seen the numerous pictures of you and King together. I’m sure he doesn’t want to lose you again, not after all he went through to seemingly avenge you.”

“But he’s moved on! He has Purple now!”

“He hasn’t moved on, buddy. He still wants you in his life.” I answered. Gold rolled his eyes. He clearly was skeptical, but I didn’t know fully how to convince him otherwise. I had to try, though. “And you want to know how I know?” Gold said nothing in response, so I continued. “Because he still speaks so highly of you.” His face changed from doubt to surprise.

“R- Really?” Gold stammered.

“Yes. I’ve known King for a few years now, and it’s not uncommon for him to rave about how much you would’ve loved something, whether it’s a game you used to love or a place you two used to go… Like that park we left you at.”

“You… You know about the park?”

“Every time we go, King reminisces about how much fun you two had there when you were younger, and how he longs to see you again.” I explained. “You know, not too far back, your dad, Purple, the guys, and I went on an adventure to stop SC’s big brother from getting revenge against his father. I wasn’t there to witness it, but I heard your dad went berserk because his son was threatened. Knocked out a bunch of people attacking him and Purple because he saw you in Purple. Your dad is a man who loves his sons more than anything, and would do anything for them. He would fight baddies, destroy worlds, even simple things like sit and listen, or just spend time with you. I know. I’ve seen it firsthand. I’m sure he wants nothing more than you back in his life.”

“You really think so?” Gold asked, tears filling his eyes.

“In that belief, I am certain. It is strong, like a bull!” I flexed my muscles. Gold smiled at my cringy Spanish accent. Returning to my normal voice, I added, “I heard you crying earlier. You want your father back, just as he wants his son back. You have each other for the first time in years. Don’t lose this opportunity. You have each other in your lives again! You have your father again, and he loves you immensely. I’m begging you, please don’t throw this away. Your friends, your family… We care for you. Your dad cares for you… more than I could say.”

“Red, I… I…” Gold sighed deeply, clearly at a loss for words, and he just started bawling. Perhaps I was getting through to him, but for now, he needed some comfort, and who better to provide it than an aspiring therapy dog? If only Blue was here. Maybe one of his potions could turn me into a puppy…

“Shhhh…” I got up, put my hand on his shoulder, and then wrapped him in a hug. “Run. Run home like the prodigal son. Beg for forgiveness from a father who loves you more than anyone else in the world. I’m sure he would welcome you back with open arms.”

“And if you don’t believe him,” said a voice from behind me, “you can ask for yourself.”

I released Gold, a bit startled, and turned around. The door was open and sunlight streamed into the small, dark house. I had to squint and shield my eyes, Gold doing the same, but once my eyes became accustomed to the light, I saw King in the doorway behind me, the rest of the Rainbow Squad behind him.

Chapter 17: My First Prize (King)

I watched Purple and the kids disappear into the trapdoor. I hoped I was doing the right thing, sending him off, but I figured he needed to clear his mind. Plus, the kids have proven to care for Purple deeply, almost as much as I do, so I figured if there was anyone who could comfort him, it was them. ‘Purple’s going to be OK,’ I told myself. ‘He’s been through a lot worse in his life. He’ll pull through again.’

With Purple gone, I sat down and waited… hoping and praying for Gold would come back. As I waited, I planned my next move. I had to anticipate what to do in case of the worst. First, what was the worst-case scenario? Gold doesn’t return. How would I cope with it? With Purple by my side. However, losing Gold again would deeply break me. I didn’t want to lose my son again, but I feared I already burned that bridge with my comments and actions toward him.

I was heartless with him, I was brutal, I shouldn’t have done what I did, and I feared that he wouldn’t return because of me. I sat on my couch and let the tears flow down my face. I drove him away, my beloved son, after so long, after all I went through, and now the one chance I had… I destroyed it. I was just trying to protect Purple, but my anger overtook me and I crossed the line… More than the line, I crossed the plane, which has an infinite number of lines.

“What have I done?” I asked myself. “I’ve lost him… Again…”

I couldn’t stand it. I just lost Gold… again… I’ve never felt so broken as when I lost him the first time… Either that or losing Neon, it’s impossible to choose. But there was little that could be done. I couldn’t change the past… I just hoped there would be a chance to affect the future.

And that chance came when I heard a frenzied knock at my door.

“King! King!” I heard Blue’s voice shout from outside.

Drying my face, I quickly answered it. Blue stood on the porch, bubbles emanating from his body.

“Blue! What happened? What’s going on? You look like you’re high on potions."

“Grab your elytra! We found Gold! And we think you should talk to him!” Blue exclaimed. I didn’t ask any more questions. Hearing Gold’s name, and Blue’s frantic voice, I had no choice. I grabbed my elytra and took off, following Blue, who kept pace with me due to some Swiftness potions, evidently. It wasn’t long before we stumbled upon a deepslate house. Outside, I saw SC, Yellow, Green, and–to my surprise–Purple.

“Kids? What are you doing here?” I asked upon arrival.

“It’s a semi-long story.” SC explained. “Basically, we feared Red would get his revenge against Gold for what he said to Purple. But, when we get here, we find out that Red is practically being Gold’s counselor or something like that.”

“Talk about a complete 180.” Yellow agreed.

I got closer and listened to the two sticks inside. Sure enough, there was Gold and Red, I recognized both voices, and I could hear Gold crying from inside. My son… was bawling like a child. I felt my eyes well up, and I looked at Purple. I felt compelled to help, but I wasn’t going to put Purple in danger. He looked back at me and smiled.

“Help your son, Dad.” He told me. “I’m not letting you lose him.”

“Purple, I’m not going to put you in harm’s way.” I promised.

“I’ll be fine, I promise, but Gold… He needs it more than I do.”

I breathed deeply. I felt like I was choosing between my kids, a decision no parent should ever make. However, hearing Gold bursting out in tears just confirmed it. I’m doing what any parent should do in this situation: comfort their child.

“Run. Run home like the prodigal son.” I heard Red say as I stepped toward the door, the kids following. “Beg for forgiveness from a father who loves you more than anyone else in the world. I’m sure he would welcome you back with open arms.”

“And if you don’t believe him, you can ask for yourself.”

Red and Gold looked at me, squinting to shield their eyes from the sun. I didn’t realize how dark it was in Gold’s house until seeing it firsthand, but there were no apparent light sources outside of black stained glass windows, and even then, those let in next to no light. After a long moment, it was Gold to speak first.

“Mango?”

“King?” Red said. “Guys?”

“Red!” The kids exclaimed at the same time.

“What’s the big idea of stealing my potions, Red?” Blue demanded.

“Yeah, my dude… You weren’t thinking of revenge, were you?” Green asked.

“Red, c’mon.” SC said tersely, waving his hand. “We need a word.” Red blushed a bright pink, looking deeply remorseful and embarrassed.

“Hold on,” Purple insisted. “Red, why were you here?” Red sighed deeply.

“When I heard what Gold did to you, I took it upon myself to demonstrate what happens when someone messes with my family. But, when I got here, I heard how deeply Gold was hurting and I… felt like instead of showing him the Wolf, I showed him a therapy dog. I’m sorry, Gold… All of you. I stepped too far with my actions… again.” Gold put a hand on his shoulder.

“Red, before you go, thank you for being willing to talk.” Gold said quietly. “I haven’t had someone to talk to in… what feels like years.” Red smiled at him.

“You’re welcome, buddy.”

“Reddy Bear, if you would excuse us, I want to talk to my son.” I told him. Red nodded.

“I understand, King.” He said.

“Dad, I want to talk with him as well.” Purple insisted. “Whatever animosity Gold has toward me, I want it ironed out… For your sake.”

“Purple, my little Prince…”

“Dad, I’m not letting you lose him because of me. Please…” He begged. I sighed reluctantly.

“I don’t like this, but… OK, fine.” Red overheard us and, as he was leaving, made one last vow.

“Purple, I promise, if Gold does anything to you, I will personally stuff him into that furnace, smelt him into ingots and wear him as a chestplate.”

“Thanks, Reddy Bear.” Purple chuckled. “It’s nice having a friend who fights for me as much as you do.”

“And, to quote another bear… ‘I’ll be outside.’” Red replied, snickering. He left the small house and closed the door behind him, leaving just me and my two sons.

“So… Wanna talk about it?” I asked Gold.

“About what?”

“That little outburst you had at my house. What was that all about?”

“Seriously, Mango? You replace me and-” I cut him off.

“Gold, what happened to you? I didn’t raise you to be resentful or hateful. Where is this attitude coming from?” I gently asked. Gold looked surprised at my interruption, and my soft tone. I wanted to press harder, but I held my tongue. Perhaps a softer approach was what he needed about now.

“Why are you calling me Gold?” He asked. “My name is AU.” I was taken aback by this, but gave him an honest answer.

“I believe that somewhere in there, somewhere behind that hard exterior is my son, a wondrous, adventurous, mischievous kid who deeply misses his father, just as I miss my son.” Gold paused for a second, so I continued. “I said and did some things I shouldn’t have, and from the bottom of my heart, I deeply apologize and I beg for your forgiveness. I truly do love you and I want nothing more than for you to come home.”

Gold paused, clearly caught off-guard by my apology. If this bridge was burned, I would be the one to rebuild it. Gold said nothing in response… Not at first. No acceptance of my apology, and I couldn’t fault him for it. Even to me, it sounded flimsy, but after a long pause, he finally spoke.

“You have no idea how hard it was…” He began. “Experiencing nothing but failure, isolation, no other friends but mobs, trying desperately to get home but constantly falling short, being unable to reach that goal. I tried so hard to get my father back, but nothing I did worked.”

“You know, Gold, we have more in common than you might think.” Purple interjected. Gold gave him a puzzled look.

“How so? Wait… Red mentioned something like this, how Mango saw me in you?”

“Dad has… and does.” Purple began. “Gold, I too had a family that I lived with, birth parents whom I loved deeply, but when I couldn’t meet my birth father’s expectations when it came to fighting, he straight up left me. His parting words to me and my mom…” Purple swallowed hard. “He called us a pathetic excuse for a family.”

“Sound familiar, Gold?” I remarked. Gold used a similar, harsh phrase during his outburst, and instantly, Gold looked more guilty than a puppy who got caught ripping up sofa cushions, but he said nothing.

“Even worse, my mom passed away shortly after.” Purple continued. Gold looked surprised at this. I knew he grew up without his mom–my wife, Neon–and I figured this detail would resonate with him. “Losing her left me so broken, and I spent all my time and energy to get my father, my only surviving parent, back. However, nothing I ever did brought him back, and it just broke me more and more until I couldn’t escape it any more. I confessed everything to my best friend, and he showed me a better path, the one I’ve been walking ever since.”

“And that change in him was what showed me the destruction I was causing, what I was doing to you, Gold, and your memory.” I added. “He saved my life, and that’s why I took him in. He gave me a chance to find healing, and that’s exactly what I’ve found… for the most part.”

“For the most part?” Gold repeated.

“We still deeply miss our lost family.” Purple explained. “But we’ve helped each other greatly through our heartbreak. Gold, you have your father back. You have an opportunity I can only dream of. You have any idea what I would do to get my mom back?”

“Purple, I… I…” Gold stammered.

“Gold, I have missed you so, so much, and I can’t imagine my life without you.” I confessed. “But if you’re going to treat Purple like dirt, then I can’t have you in my family. I want you to come home, I want you and Purple to get along, I want my son back. I know he’s buried in there somewhere, and I want to see him again. More than anything. I love you. I deeply love you. But if you can’t treat Purple with respect, then you’re not welcome in this family.

“I know you think I adopted him to replace you, but nothing could be further than the truth. He and I were both deeply broken, and as it turned out, we might’ve been just what we needed for each other. We aren’t replacements for the ones we lost, we’re helping to heal each other, and nothing could help me more than getting my son back. And not AU, not the tough kid who is friends with mobs, but my beloved son, my Golden Boy, my First Prize. Please… Come home.”

Gold gasped at the mention of his old nicknames, a couple things I hadn’t called him since he was a young kid. I felt my eyes fill with tears, and I think Gold was fighting back tears as well. After a long, tense moment, Gold finally spoke up.

“Mango… I need time to process this information. Between you two and Red… it’s a lot to take in. I need… some space, if you don’t mind.”

“I understand.” I breathed deeply, rising from my seat. “I imagine you know where to find me.”

“Thanks… I guess.”

“C’mon, Purple.” I ordered, waving my hand. Purple followed, but stopped at the door.

“You know, Gold… Even after all you said to me… I’d love to have you home.”

“Why?” Gold asked.

“For Dad’s sake, mostly. I’ve seen what happened the last time he lost you. I’d hate to see him react to losing you again.”

With that, Purple left the house, closing the door behind him. The Gang was waiting for us outside, and we were bombarded with questions from each of them. Judging by their tones, they were concerned and curious, worried and intrigued, any other synonyms Yellow can come up with.

“Kids, kids,” I said, holding my arms out in front of me. “I’ll answer everything, I promise. But… let’s go home. Even though it’s only the afternoon, it feels like it’s been a long day…”

Chapter 18: A Long Night (King)

The kids and I flew home after Purple and I talked with Gold, mostly in silence. My stomach was in knots, I hoped my comments to Gold would be enough to bring him home, but then again, I was severely harsh to him when he first visited. I was trying to protect Purple from Gold’s abuse… no one messes with my sons, either of them. Except for me. My mind raced, but I tried collecting myself enough when we returned home. Purple and I stepped through the door first, followed by the Gang, and after taking a breather on the couch, the kids spoke up again.

“King… How are you doing?” SC asked, concerned.

“And you, Purple?” Green added. “He didn’t… mistreat you, did he, bro?”

“No, not in the slightest.” Purple answered. “Sorry, Red, no stuffing him in furnaces today.”

“Good, because I don’t think King would approve of me doing that.” Red replied.

“I wouldn’t.” I confirmed. “And, to answer your question SC… Come to think of it, I'm not sure I can.”

“Could you describe it, King?” Blue asked. “I can only imagine what you’re going through.”

“I am in agreement.” Yellow added, nodding. “I am struggling to conceptualize what must be coursing through your inner mindscape.”

“Well…” I began unsteadily. Purple put his hand on my back, and I looked at him.

“You don’t have to do this, Dad.” He assured me.

“I should. It might help.” I insisted, sighing deeply. “For the most part, I’m afraid, afraid I lost Gold, mostly because of some things I said to him during his first visit. He was toxic to Purple, so I went full-on defense mode and kicked him out.” I sighed deeply again. “I fear he thinks I’m disowning him, when I tried making it clear that my door is open to him.”

“Purple mentioned that when he stopped by.” SC noted. “Must’ve been harsh.”

“It’s not your fault, King.” Blue assured me, sitting on my other side and putting a hand on my shoulder. Red soon joined him.

“You were protecting Purple. I probably would’ve done the same if I was you.” Red confessed.

“I’m more concerned about Purple,” I continued. “What Gold said to you…”

“I’ll be fine, Dad, I promise.” Purple swore. “I just don’t want you to lose your son because of me.”

“He’ll come around…” I assured him distantly. “I hope…”

The entire Squad surrounded me and embraced me on all sides. I hugged them all back the best I could and let the tears flow down my face. Their warm embrace comforted me, if only a little, and I could hear Purple whispering to me.

“I love you, Dad. I’m sure Gold will come home, and if I have to leave for it to happen… so be it.”

The Squad released me and I looked at them through my tear-stained eyes. I dried my face and smiled at the six of them, my family, six kids I never deserved to have, but have welcomed me into their family just as much as I have for them.

“I love you, kids. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome, King.” The Squad said in unison, except for Purple, who said, “Dad.” I got up, still a bit hurting, but with the kids surrounding me, I knew healing was on the horizon, no matter how it went with Gold. Though I hoped Gold would come home.

“Are you guys hungry?” I wondered. “I could use something to eat after all that.”

“Are you up for it?” Green asked, concerned.

“We don’t want to impose…” Yellow replied, “especially if your mental condition isn’t up to the challenge.”

“I’ll be fine.” I assured them. “You’re my guests. Even more so, you’re my family. You five deserve it for all you’ve done for me and Purple.”

“It’s not a problem.” Blue insisted. “If you and Purple want to just… recuperate. I can whip something up in an instant.” I heard his stomach rumble, and he glanced down, embarrassed. “Sorry. We haven’t eaten lunch.”

“All the more reason for me to make us lunch, and I can handle it, I swear.” I said, determined. “Purple, you care to help?”

“I’d love that, Dad. Thanks.”

Purple and I made the seven of us lunch. I was hoping being able to chat with each other, sitting and enjoying a meal together, would take our mind off things. Sadly, it wasn’t, as the main topic of conversation was Gold. I, however, wasn’t in the mood, and I gently told the kids as much, so we ate in silence. I assumed most of us were too distracted or preoccupied by the events of the day to eat, but we cleaned our plates, so perhaps it was just me. Evidently the kids also missed their own lunch, so we were all reasonably hungry, not just Blue. We ate, cleaned up, and soon after, the Gang told us that they had to go home.

“Before we leave, King,” SC began, “can we do something for you and Purple?”

“Sure, SC. What is it?” I asked.

“Can me and the guys… Pray for you?”

“‘The guys and I.’” Yellow corrected. “Grammar, buddy.”

“Knock it off, Yellow.” Blue gently nudged him with his elbow.

“The offer still stands… Dad.” Red said, a little nervous.

“Bro… Red… You are waaaaaaaay too attached to your friends.” Green teased.

“Lay off, Green.” Purple scolded. “I’m sure Dad appreciates it.”

“I do, Reddy Bear. Thanks.” I confirmed. Red blushed a shade of pink, even though it wasn’t the first time he called me, “Dad,” the first time being before we met Magenta… and Candy, come to think of it. “And, to answer your question, SC, I would like that very much. A group prayer is exactly what I need.”

“Rainbow order, fellas.” SC ordered. “We’re doing this for King.”

The kids held hands in rainbow order–I stood between Red and Purple–and, one by one, they prayed for me and my family, my kids. Hearing their words and their professions of love for me and Purple calmed my anxious nerves. That reminder of my faith was exactly what I needed at that moment. After they finished, they went home through our basement portal, and Purple and I followed as they disappeared into the gateway.

We bid the Gang farewell, ate dinner together later and went to bed early, but I found it hard to sleep. My mind was on Gold, and it didn’t stray far from him. It didn’t take me long before I realized I couldn’t sleep, so I did the only thing I could think to do: Wait outside for Gold… and pray that he comes back and accepts Purple as his brother. I set up a lawn chair and waited in the light of our porchlight, the moon shining brightly like a glimmer of hope in the dark void of space. After some time, I heard our front door open, and Purple came outside.

“Dad?”

“My little Prince, what are you doing up? It’s 1:00 in the morning.”

“I can ask you the same thing.”

“Right now, serving as an all-you-can-eat buffet for the last mosquitos of the summer.” I answered, swatting a bug off my arm. Purple chuckled. “In all seriousness, I’m waiting for Gold.”

“You think he’s going to return at 1:00 AM?” Purple asked.

“No, but I couldn’t sleep and I want to be ready if he does. I want to be there, like any good father should be… Not that I’ve been a good father…” I responded, muttering the last sentence under my breath. “Now… What are you doing up so early?”

“I… couldn’t sleep either. I’m just so worried about you, Dad. I know how much Gold means to you, and I feel partially guilty for all of this.” I got up and put a hand on Purple’s shoulder. He looked up at me.

“Purple, no matter what happens, it’s not your fault. Like I said, I’m not losing you. You are worth your weight in gold, diamonds, platinum, any other valuable resource.” Purple chuckled.

“Thanks Dad.” After a pause, he added, “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Just so long as you don’t mind the mosquito bites.”

“I’ll get the bug repellent.”

Purple disappeared inside the house and returned with a folding chair and bug spray, disappearing inside again to get something else, he told me. I sprayed myself with the bug repellant and he soon returned with a couple mugs of hot cocoa, his with extra marshmallows and mine without any. After coating himself with bug spray, he took a seat next to me. We sipped our mugs and Purple quietly spoke up.

“Have you thought about it?”

“About what?” I asked.

“What you’re gonna do if Gold doesn’t return.” I sighed deeply. This was something I thought of while Purple was gone visiting the kids.

“I guess live life… as normally as I can.” I wiped tears from my eyes and blew on my mug of still steaming hot cocoa.

“I find that hard to believe.” Purple confessed, sipping his own cocoa. “I mean… Life without your son when he’s this close? After years of missing him?”

“I have you in my life, Purple.” I replied, taking a swig. The steaming cocoa comforted me, just like old times with my own dad. “And with you by my side, I know I can overcome this.”

“Don’t forget our faith, Dad. That’s the best help.”

“Indeed, Purple,” I agreed. “Let where we came from be a reminder of it, of the healing we have found and continue to find… even during times of distress.”

“And boy, have we seen our fair share of distress.” Purple noted. “The losses of our families, the Battle for Minecraft, Vic, Dark and Flodge…”

“Even after all that, we’re still here.” I said. Purple sighed deeply.

“I guess it’s true.” Purple figured.

“What is?”

“Something I read recently in my devotions. ‘In this world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’” I nodded in agreement.

“John 16:33.” I remembered. “He has overcome… and through all of our storms, He kept us safe in His arms.”

“Storms… That’s a good word for it.” Purple complimented. He then started quietly singing. “In the eye of the storm… You remain in control.”

“In the middle of the war,” I continued the song, “You guard my soul.” We began to sing in unison, keeping our voices down.

“You alone are the anchor

“When my sails are torn.

“Your love surrounds me,

“In the eye of the storm.”

“Thanks, Purple.” I told him. “I needed that reminder.”

“You’re welcome, Dad.”

I forgot how lovely Purple’s singing voice was. It reminded me of a soft violin. We talked quietly so as to not disturb the sleeping neighborhood. We must’ve sat out there talking for hours, but as the sun rose and the sky turned various shades of red, orange, and yellow, I spotted something in the distance… Something I recognized all too well. I got up out of my chair and raced toward it, tears blurring my vision, but not enough to blind me. I hoped, ‘Please… let this be an answer to prayer… Please… soften our hearts… Please… may he come home…’

Chapter 19: Memories of Mango (Gold)

Mango and Purple left, the latter delivering me some parting words. I remained behind in my deepslate house, my mind racing from all the things I had to consider. Mango was clearly trying to bring me back, and it seemed like Purple was as well, and the two of them gave me a lot to mull over. I tried to dissect it piece by piece, that would seem easier than tackling it all at once.

First was Red, as he came to me first. He claimed most of what Mango already said, that Mango wants nothing more than to be reunited with me, but I still had doubts. He has Purple now, what could I have to offer that Purple hasn’t already filled in during the time I was gone? However, Red was adamant, and he claimed that Mango reminisced about me, and the memories we shared. I remember those days. Play fighting with him, seeing events with him, it was so much fun. Was I going to throw that away? I had to think, I had to get some fresh air.

I peeked out the door of my house and saw the bright blue sky. I stepped outside and strolled in the opposite direction of Mango’s home. The brightly colored sky brought back memories… of my childhood, especially of one evening when I was a little kid at the park. My mind worked overtime to recall that. Mango and I were watching the sunset and I pointed out its orange hues.

“Look, Daddy!” I cried out. “The sky looks like you!”

“It looks like you too, my Golden Boy.” Mango chuckled, putting me on his shoulders. “Look at the yellows.”

“I bet they made it because of you, Daddy!” I claimed.

“They made it after the both of us,” Mango lied jokingly. “Once you were born, they thought we were so cute together, they wanted to paint the sky after our shades.”

“Really?” I gasped. “Woooow… I can’t wait to tell all my friends at school!”

I did just that the next morning. To be frank, I believed that for way longer than I’d like to admit.

Those were the days. Mango and I were so tight. The only way we could’ve been tighter was if we were super glued together. Perhaps Red was right. Perhaps Mango really did want me back. He did the last time I left home… somehow, although that first time was my own dumb idea. My mind raced again.

I remembered another time when I was just a kid. I was quite a handful in my youth, but this was my biggest stunt yet. I couldn’t have been out of elementary school, but I still did it. There was a test that I really didn’t want to do, in my worst subject. I knew I was gonna fail, and when I complained to Mango about it, he shut me down pretty quick. I was frustrated, but he didn’t care.

“You’re going to school tomorrow. End of conversation.” Mango said flatly. I said nothing, but stormed off into my room. I had to come up with something, some way to get out of it. The only thing I could think to do was run away. He clearly didn’t care about what I wanted to do, so I had to get out of this situation. Looking back on it, I was an irrational kid, but I did it.

I got up early enough so that Mango was still sleeping. I grabbed my backpack, filled it with my favorite things–all non-essential, as when you’re a kid, you don’t bother thinking about things like survival–made myself a PB&J and quietly left the house, backpack slung over my shoulder. I didn’t know where I would go, just away from my school, away from Mango, hopefully to someone who didn’t make me do stuff I didn’t want to do. I started my trek toward Stick City, maybe I could hide at the park there.

I walked on the side of the road leading to the big city. I don’t know how far I got or how much time I took, but I do distinctly recall when I was found. As the sun rose, during my trek to the city, a police car rolled up and stopped next to me. The driver rolled down his window and there was the officer, an eye-catching blue stick, his uniform matching his shade. His son was a friend and classmate of mine, so I recognized him, and he did for me as well.

“Well, well, I know you.” He said. “You’re Gold Tango, Mango’s son.”

“Hi, Mr. L.,” I replied. He always went by his last initial rather than his full last name. He always described it as too hard to pronounce. “What’s going on?”

“I’m gonna have to ask you to come with me.” Mr. L. replied. I became terrified.

“You’re not gonna arrest me are you? I’m too young to go to jail! Please!” I begged.

“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” He said gently. “Ever gone for a ride in a police car?”

I hadn’t, but the prospect of it sounded cool. I could be like those bad guys on TV, and the bad guys are so much cooler than the good ones. I nodded and eagerly hopped in the back seat and heard him talking over his radio.

“Attention units, I found Gold, I’m taking him back to his dad. No doubt he’s worried sick about the kid.”

Fear welled up in me again. My dad was the exact person I was trying to get away from. Now, I only imagined how angry he would be that I tried running away. Just another brash decision of mine. I was so panicked I tried opening the car door, but Mr. L. locked it before I could escape again. Eventually, we returned to my house, where Mango was waiting outside. Mr. L. left the car and talked with Mango.

“Officer L., er, Roy, what happened? Did you find him?” Mango asked.

“Mango, my friend, yes, I found your son.”

“Oh, thank goodness! Where was he? Is he OK?”

“Walking on the road to Stick City. I'm amazed he got as far as he did.” Mr. L. admitted. “He appears to be unharmed, if only a little panicked about returning home.”

“Can I see him?” Mango asked.

“Of course.” Mr. L. opened the door and I sheepishly hopped out.

“Thanks, Roy.”

“Happy to help.” Mr. L. returned to his car and drove away, and Mango hugged me tightly. I hugged him back.

“Gold! I was so worried! What happened? Why did you run off?”

“I- I-” I stuttered. I didn’t have an answer for him. “I didn’t want to go to school today, and it seemed like you didn’t understand me.”

“Oh, Goldy…” Mango replied, tears flowing down his face. “I thought I lost you. When I couldn’t find you in the house…” I felt a wave of guilt rush over me. Seeing the pain in Mango’s face, and his voice… It broke me.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I shouldn’t have done it, and I promise I won’t do it again.”

“Apology accepted.”

“You’re not mad?” I wondered.

“More relieved than anything,” Mango admitted, “but there will be consequences for this. You can’t just run off like that without telling anyone. Scared me to death.”

“I figured that was coming…” This wasn’t the first time I did some crazy stunt, and I was all too familiar with Mango’s discipline after my… misadventures, shall we say.

“But that will wait until after school. If we hurry, we might be able to make it without missing too much.” Mango added. “And maybe by then, I’ll have come up with a suitable punishment for you.”

There wasn’t much of a happy ending to that story. Mango took me to school, I predictably struggled through that test, and eventually returned home, where Mango made sure I had a sore butt for a few days and put me on restriction for a long time.

I thought back to that day, and remembered Mango’s reaction to seeing me again. Instead of anger, he was relieved. He wanted to see me again even after all I did. Was it possible the same was true, even now? Even with Purple in his life? I gave this thought… Perhaps Mango hadn’t abandoned me in favor of his adopted son.

But speaking of his adopted son… that reminded me of Purple’s story.

I can’t believe someone has actually been through something similar to me. He lost his mom, he lost his dad, he tried endlessly to bring him back, only to fall flat every time. I found it hard to believe. Was he fabricating this whole thing to try to appeal to me? There was no way… right? The way he told it to me… the pain in his voice… It reminded me of when I learned of mom’s passing. I thought back to that day… and I remembered it vividly.

It was a typical school day. Mango was picking me up, as usual…

“Dad!” I ran to him and hugged him.

“My First Prize!” He hugged me back.

“Daaad…” I moaned. “What have I said about calling me that in front of my friends?”

“It’s a parent’s job to embarrass their kids, Gold. You know that.” Mango said cheekily.

“Yeah,” I sighed, “I guess.” We headed for our car.

“How was your day?” Mango asked.

“Fine, for the most part.” I answered. “Hey Dad, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Well, one of my friends, Tee L., you know him and his parents, right?”

“Jade and Roy L.? Yeah, I know them well.” Mango answered.

“Well, Tee invited me over later tonight, to spend the night. He said his mom would make cookies for us.”

“You can go, that’s not a problem.” Mango assured me as we climbed into our car.

“That’s not what I wanted to ask. His comment about his mom got me thinking… Where’s my mom? For as long as I can remember… I’ve lived with you… and just you.”

Mango was clearly taken aback. He looked at me and sighed deeply, but spilled the beans.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you until you were, like, 16. Or ever, come to think of it.” Mango said solemnly. I chuckled. “There’s a reason you don’t remember your mom, but instead of telling you right away, I think it’d be best if I show you.”

“OK. Dad.”

We drove in silence for a while until we came to a cemetery. I was confused at first, but followed Mango until he eventually stopped at a grave, on it was written the name, “Neon Yellow Tango,” below that birth and death dates. The death date stood out to me: December 3rd… My birthday… And then the year… It was my actual day of birth.

“Is this… Mom?” I asked.

“Yes. She passed away from complications during your birth, Gold… To be honest, it’s a miracle you survived, the doctors told me. You’re my miracle child.” Mango confessed, sighing deeply. “It was sudden and rather tragic. Neon was doing well the first half of her pregnancy, but for whatever reason, her health deteriorated rather rapidly afterward, and the closer we got to December, the worse she got. Eventually, it was time for you to be born, and though you came, a healthy beautiful boy, your mom’s strength was drained… and she wasn’t getting better.” Mango paused to wipe tears from his eyes before continuing. “The doctors did everything they could, but she was too far gone. She barely got five minutes with you, Goldy, but seeing her smile as she held you… It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, Dad… I never knew. I’m so sorry…” I sympathized.

“It’s not your fault, Goldy, but I appreciate it regardless.” Mango replied. “I still remember her final words to me, as she was cradling you in her arms, she said weakly, ‘Raise Gold right, Mango. I love you.’ I promised her that I would–even though you haven’t made it easy for me at times–and told her that I loved her. She then handed you to me and… passed on. I’ve raised you as a single dad ever since. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I just wanted to protect you from the pain I felt after losing her.”

“Dad, I… I’m sorry you went through all that.” I said quietly.

“Thanks, Goldy.”

We stood in mourning for a little while, our arms wrapped around each other before I broke the silence.

“What was Mom like?”

“Oh, she… She was everything to me. Super smart, great with kids, though she was kinda quiet and reserved, for the most part. She was not afraid to speak her mind or stand up for herself or others when the situation demanded it, and when someone got on her bad side… You didn’t want to see that. If she was still here, I’ll bet she could make even you become a rule follower.”

“I kinda doubt it, but…” I shrugged. “Maybe.” Mango and I chuckled.

“She would’ve, I tell you that.” Mango swore.

“I wish I could’ve remembered her.” I admitted. “She sounds like a great mom, a great person.”

“She was… The love of my life…” Mango reminisced. “I just hope I’m making her proud.”

“You are, Dad. You truly are. You’re raising me right, just like Mom would’ve wanted.”

“Thanks, Goldy.” Mango wrapped his arm around me. “Hey, you want to head home, get powered up before your visit with Tee?”

“Yeah, I’d like that a lot.”

We left for our car. As we strolled between the graves, Mango said one last thing.

“Oh, and Gold?”

“Yeah?”

“Promise me I’ll never lose you. I’ve already lost your mom… I can’t imagine what would happen if I ever lost you.”

“Oh Dad…” I replied, starting to get teary-eyed. “Don’t worry. Nothing will separate us.”

That final line rang in my head. I don’t know how I was able to recall it, but now that I did, it wouldn’t stop echoing in my brain.

‘Nothing will separate us… nothing… nothing…’

Even though that was our worst argument–I guess no parent is perfect–I do understand his desire to protect me. He always has been protective, sometimes excessively so, but after that day, I understood why. He lost his wife, and he didn’t want to lose me. Even today…

That memory knocked around in my head. He didn’t want to lose me, and even after all this time, he still claims he can’t imagine his life without me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized… I didn’t want to live my life without him either. Growing up, we were so close, and after so long, I couldn’t throw it all away. Unless that bridge was already burned…

I headed back to my deepslate house and thought it over. I said some things I shouldn’t have, especially to Purple. I was toxic, resentful, and hateful toward him. There would be no way that Mango would accept me back into his family after what I did to him and Purple. Was there a point to even trying? I gave this thought all day, as I ate dinner, and even as I went to bed.

That night I couldn’t sleep well, tossing and turning all night. I felt compelled to try, because Mango wanted me back, but I found it hard to fathom getting forgiveness from him. I wrestled with myself back and forth all night, weighing the pros and cons of returning. I was living in a small house and quickly running out of food. I forgot to bring some when I left and didn’t have much to begin with. I then remembered the fun times Mango and I had together… playing games and watching movies, spending time with each other. Was I willing to throw all that away? Red sure didn’t want me to do that, and I didn’t think Mango did, either.

But after all I did… after all I said to them… there was no way Mango would take me back. I feared I burned that bridge with my outburst… but what if it wasn’t totally burned? What if Mango wanted to take me back? I wasn’t sure… but I had to make a decision. Do I return to Mango or just stay in my deepslate house? What to do…? What to do…?

After a lot of thought, I finally decided that I would return to Mango, but not as his son. I wasn’t worthy of that privilege after all I did to him and Purple. Maybe if I was lucky, I could get a roof over my head, and a mattress to sleep on. It’d be better than these dark, cramped, lonely quarters. I made a mental note of what to say to him once we met… Probably apologize and confess that I’m not worthy of living with him. Maybe he’d be willing to give me somewhere to sleep instead of that tiny bed I currently used, along with a blanket. At this point, I’d take anything. I just knew I didn’t deserve anything.

As the sun rose, marking the start of a new day, I slowly walked back to Mango’s house, rehearsing in my head what I was going to say. When I was several blocks away, I saw something coming toward me… an orange blur. As it got closer, I realized… It was Mango.

“Gold?” I heard him cry as he got closer. “GOLD!” He shouted, and almost instantly I was enveloped in a hug. Mango hugged me and kissed me, and we both were crying. “Gold, I’m sorry… for everything I did to you.”

“Mango, there’s no need to apologize.” I insisted, still crying. “You’re forgiven. I- I’m sorry for everything I did. I know I’m not deserving of your love after all I said to you. I-” Mango cut me off, wiping the tears from my face.

“Gold, my son, don’t say that. Please, don’t say that. You’re forgiven… of everything.”

“By both of us.” I looked up and saw Purple standing behind Mango. I broke down in tears again and hugged my father, and he hugged me back. After a long moment, the tightest hug I’ve had in a long time, we released each other.

“I’m… Your son?” I asked. Mango looked at me with his gentle, amber eyes.

“You always have… and no matter what happens, you always will be.” He affirmed. “Purple, get the kids. I’ll fire up the stovetop. We must celebrate this occasion! The Tango family is whole once again! My son who was dead is alive!”

Chapter 20: Homecoming (The Second Coming)

“Green, turn off your alarm.” I moaned. “It’s too early for this crap…”

I was sleeping soundly when the sound of Green’s music woke me up abruptly. I don’t know when exactly I went to bed, I just know it was late. We returned home after a visit with King and Purple and did little else but pray for King and his kids. They needed it deeply, Green claimed, and I had to agree, so the five of us lifted them up in prayer. I can’t remember how long we did that, but I do remember eating dinner with the guys, praying with them some more and, rather embarrassingly, collapsing onto the ground and dozing off. As I drifted into slumberland, I heard the guys above me.

“I think the dude’s out.”

“I concur with that conclusion.”

“Let’s carry him into his bed. It’s late, for all of us.”

“Awww… Sleep tight, like a sweet, little kitty…”

I’m thankful for them, as without them I might’ve slept on the taskbar all night, though I wasn’t a fan of being woken up by them at obscene hours of the day.

“What time is it?” I muttered groggily, checking my digital clock. “7:30 in the morning? Ugh, wake me up at 10:00…” I hid myself in the blankets.

“That’s not my alarm, dude.” Green replied sleepily. “That’s my phone. I’ll take it outside.”

“Thank you, and please, unless it’s very important, let me sleep.”

I nodded back off, only to be jolted awake moments later by Green, who seemed more awake and surprised than the rest of us were.

“Dudes! That was Purple!”

“Purple?!” We all said in unison. The mention of his name woke us all up faster than a cold shower.

“Yeah! He claims that Gold is home and the three of them are celebrating it!” Green exclaimed. “We’re invited to join!”

“Gold is… home?” Red asked. “He’s home! Oooooooh, how exciting!”

“Indeed, Reddy Bear.” Yellow agreed. “A worthy occasion for celebration.”

“There might be a feast!” Blue exclaimed. “With tasty food infused with Netherwart!”

“King’s family is back together?” I wondered. “What a moment for him and Purple! We gotta get there ASAP! Grab your wings, boys! We gotta get there!”

“Already done, bro.” Green assured me, putting his wings on. The rest of us grabbed our wings and literally flew to the portal leading to King’s basement. We made it there in record time, albeit it was close, we stepped through the portal and knocked on the trapdoor at the end of the corridor.

“Purple? King? Anyone home?” I called. Purple raced over and opened the trapdoor.

“Guys!” He exclaimed, pulling us up one by one. He hugged each of us and led us to the dining room table. We waved hi to King, who was busy cooking in the kitchen, and we met Gold, who was waiting at the table.

“Gold!” Red shouted, hugging him.

“Hey, Red.” He replied. “Guys…”

“Hey, dude.” Green responded.

“I’d imagine Purple told you… What I said to him…” Gold said sheepishly.

“The central gist of it.” Yellow explained.

“To be honest, I’m surprised you were willing to come. The way Purple describes you five, you’re like brothers to him. A better brother than I have been…” Gold confessed.

“Oh, Gold…” Blue sympathized. “It’ll be OK now. I promise.”

“Yeah, and if it makes you feel any better, we forgive you.” I assured him. Gold looked up at me and smiled.

“And so do Dad and I.” Purple added. “You have a clean slate in our eyes, something I am eternally grateful for.”

“Thank you, thank you all,” Gold said gratefully, wiping tears from his eyes, “but you still deserve an explanation for what I did. Once breakfast is done cooking… I promise I’ll tell you.”

“Gold… You don’t have to,” Purple said.

“I do have to. I want to be a part of your family… and Dad’s…” Gold insisted. “I appreciate it, but I want to repair any bridge I might’ve burned.” Purple sighed.

“OK, OK, fine.” He conceded. “While Dad cooks, you can properly meet the guys!”

“I’ve heard a bit about you five.” Gold explained. “It turns out you and Purple have quite the history.”

“You have no idea…” I began, shaking my head.

“Kids!” King called. “Breakfast is ready! And I could use a little help with it. I’ve never had to cook for eight people before.”

“Coming, Dad!” Purple called.

“I’ll join you… Little brother.” Gold replied. “That feels weird to say…”

“Welcome home, big brother.” Purple said, putting a hand on his back warmly. “We’re so happy to have you back.”

“Do you need help, guys?” I asked. King must’ve overheard me from the kitchen and he answered my question.

“No, no, you’re our guests. Take your seats at the table, we’ll be there shortly.”

“OK,” I shrugged. The FSF and I each took a seat, our order being: Green, myself, Red, Yellow, and Blue. King, Purple, and Gold arrived with a full buffet of breakfast food and placed it on the table. Blue’s eyes grew wide, and he licked his lips hungrily, seemingly salivating at the banquet, and I had to admit, it all looked amazing. My stomach growled. Purple sat down next to Green, King sat next to him, and Gold between King and Blue.

“Kids, grab hands.” King instructed. “I’m hoping we can bless this meal, if that’s OK. Gold?”

“Sure thing, Dad.” Gold affirmed. We bowed our heads, King blessed the meal, and we all served ourselves like we were in an all-you-can-eat buffet. We didn’t wait long to dig in, and once we did, we found out that King pulled out all the stops for this. It was like nothing I’ve ever tasted, and it rivaled Blue’s cooking.

“Blue, you got some competition, buddy.” Yellow noted. “This… Oh my gosh I’m lacking the words to construct a cohesive sentence describing how incredible this meal tastes.”

“Hmm… I’ll have to step up my game.” Blue agreed. “Perhaps I should find some more recipes…” I heard him mutter under his breath, “Back to where I found that ramen recipe.” I didn’t know fully what he was talking about, but Green spoke up before I could ask.

“I agree with those two dudes.” Green confirmed. “King, this is amazing, bro.”

“You went all out for this breakfast, my friend.” I said. “I love it.”

“I don’t think I’ve had food this good.” Red confirmed. “It’s the Puss in Boots of breakfasts: legendary.”

“Dad, this is more exhilarating than the wind under my wings.” Purple praised.

“Thanks, kids. Thank you all.” King replied gratefully. “Gold, what’d you think of it?”

“The best meal I’ve had in years. Thanks… Dad. Wow, I never thought I’d say that again after all I did…”

“Believe me, I never thought I’d be cooking for you again after what I did to you…” King replied. “But, You’re welcome.” Gold sighed deeply, looking sheepish.

“I owe you and Purple an explanation.” Gold confessed. “For my outburst.”

“If it’ll make you feel any better, Goldy,” King replied, “I’m willing to listen.”

“OK, Dad.” Gold sighed. “I was insecure, I was fearful, I was doubting myself. I had to deal with nothing but failure for… years, evidently, judging by your calendar. I tried so hard to get home, but every portal attempt, every vortex I tried to make, I failed, and that much failure took a toll on me. Over time, I got more and more desperate, so much so I imprisoned Red and used him and his friends as a means to get home. And then, when we finally meet, I realize you have a new son, someone who you claim did more for you than I ever have. I mean… I was such a mischief maker when I was a kid. How can I compare with him?” He gestured to Purple.

“Oh, Goldy… You may have been a troublemaker, but I still love you dearly.” He hugged Gold tightly. “Remember all the fun times we had together? The birthday parties with your friends, our trips to the park, going to the skating rink? I wouldn’t have done all that for you if I didn’t love you dearly.” He released his son.

“I forgot, to be honest. The failure and frustration was all that filled my mind during those years I was stuck in Minecraft. And then seeing Purple… I thought you moved on without me. Seeing him drove all those doubts home and… I snapped.” Gold explained melancholily. “I went off, I had to show my worth to you, Dad. I felt… replaced. I was heartless and hateful. No excuses. I apologize again to you and Purple. I… wasn’t in my right mind.”

“Gold, you’re forgiven. By all of us.” King assured him. “I personally was shown forgiveness by all the people sitting at the table, including Purple. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t extend that to you?”

“And Gold, I’m so happy that you’re home.” Purple professed. “I can’t wait to spend time with my brother. It’s gonna be awesome, I know it.”

“Purple… Dad… Thanks.” Gold said. “I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but…”

“You don’t have to do anything, Goldy.” King replied. “That’s called grace. Amazing grace.”

“And mercy. Don’t forget mercy.” Purple added. “You can know it, this otherworldly grace and mercy… Just like me, Dad, and the rest of us.”

“I’ll think about it.” Gold replied. “But regardless… Thank you both for your forgiveness, thank you both for talking with me, and thank you, Red-” He stopped himself upon seeing Red, who had tears flowing down his face like Sticktoria Falls. “Red? You OK?”

“He’ll be solid.” Yellow assured him.

“This type of thing makes him cry every time.” Blue explained.

“The dude’s really emotional.” Green added.

“And he has a huge heart.” I said, wrapping my arm around him. “Collect yourself, Red.” Red inhaled deeply.

“Sorry, guys. It’s just SO SWEET!” Red shouted through his tears. “Oh my gosh MY HEART!!! IT’S MELTING IN ALL THE BEST OF WAYS!!”

“Calm down, Reddy Bear.” Purple said, concerned. “Do you need to leave for a minute?”

“Yeah… Hold on.” Red excused himself and left the room to breathe.

“Is that… normal?” Gold asked.

“For us? Yes.” I answered. “Welcome to our family, Gold.”

“Oh jeez…” Gold said, shaking his head. “What have I gotten myself into?” We chuckled.

“If you ask me… The greatest family a guy could ask for.” Purple gushed.

“Awwww, we love you too, bro.” Green replied, wrapping an arm around him.

“Green saying, ‘awwww’? This day truly has been miraculous.” Yellow joked.

“Good one, Yellow.” Blue complimented. The two of them fistbumped each other.

“And what’s a family without a little quality time together?” King asked. “Gold, would you be down for some Clue with your new family?”

“You… remembered my favorite game…” Gold said, surprised.

“Of course. I still have our old set.” King replied. “How about it? You can get to know us… and the kids.”

“We’d love to know you better, Gold.” I added. “You seem like a great guy, if only a little rough around the edges.”

“Well, Gold?” Purple asked. He looked around at all of us, including Red, who had successfully gathered himself and returned to us. I saw a smile creep across his face.

“Yes… I think I’d like that.” Gold affirmed. “But Clue doesn’t suit eight.”

“I’ll grab some pieces from another game of ours.” King assured him. “We have plenty, and I know we can make this work.” He left, returning shortly after with Clue in his hands. We raised our arms in celebration, eager to get the game underway, and once we selected our pieces and rolled the dice, the game was on.

We must’ve spent hours at King’s house, playing various games with him and his kids and getting to know Gold more and more. He shared his story, how he survived, and we shared ours, our history with King and Purple and the epic adventure we shared together. I think Gold warmed up to us well, as we warmed up to him. He seems like a great and funny guy, and I caught glimpses of that fun-loving, energetic kid King always described. It was so great to see, especially after our first meeting, how cold he was to us. But, eventually, we realized we had to go home, despite Purple’s pleas for us to stay.

“We gotta go home, buddy.” I gently told him. “We all do, eventually.” I gestured to Gold, who blushed a shade of his dad’s orange.

“May I… hang out with you guys for a little while?” Purple asked.

“Of course, buddy!” Red proclaimed energetically. “But… What about your dad?”

“He deserves some one-on-one time with Gold.” Purple insisted. “I know my place in his family, and it’s as solid as a rock. I’m a true Tango, not a Seal, not an orphan… I’m a Tango through and through.”

“And that place of yours is as immovable as a mountain, my little Prince.” King assured him.

“Those nightmares are nothing more than that: nightmares.” Purple claimed. “We’re a family, the Tango family, and nothing will ever change that.”

“Are you OK with Purple visiting, King?” Green asked.

“Of course. There’s no one else I’d rather have him hanging out with.” King answered.

“Catch up with Gold, Dad. You deserve it after all you’ve done for me.” Purple insisted.

“We’ll take care of Purple.” Blue joked.

“Not a singular object shall graze him.” Yellow added.

“Thanks, kids.” King said, wiping a tear from his eyes. I opened the trapdoor.

“Shall we go?” I asked. The Rainbow Squad, minus King, nodded in agreement and joined me. “Farewell, King! Gold!”

“We love you guys!” Red called.

“I love you guys, too!” King shouted after us. We turned on the portal in the basement and flew home with our elytra. Upon arriving, we had a great time together. Blue and Red did some experiments with potions, Green and Purple worked on a new song on Note Blocks, and Yellow and I did some more research about his staff. That thing is full of surprises. As the two of us worked with it, Yellow eventually spoke up.

“Hey SC, what do you suppose would occur if we replaced the Command Block in the staff with another object?” This gave me thought.

“Come to think of it… I’m not sure. I’ve seen what a gold block staff and a Netherite block staff can do, but other blocks?”

“Shall we find out?” Yellow asked eagerly. “For science?”

I was skeptical, but luckily, I didn’t have to make a choice. We were distracted when we overheard Green and Purple singing in their musical voices and playing a song on Note Blocks. I looked at Yellow and gestured for him to join me, and he followed. What we heard was a soft, lovely song played by the two sticks. Once they finished, we applauded, Blue and Red’s wolf puppy Rex walking up to join us, though not Red himself, which I found a little odd.

“That’s a lovely song, guys.” I complimented.

“Are you guys thinking of adding lyrics?” Yellow asked.

“Maybe.” Purple confessed. “Then again, maybe it’s best to let the song do the talking.”

“Nothing like a strong, emotional, instrumental beat.” Green said, nodding. “Purple wrote it. He based it off of us… His family.”

“Aww… Music is to the ear what a delicious meal is to the mouth.” Blue said.

“Dang, Blue, that’s pretty deep.” I noted.

“Hey buddy, where’s Red?” Yellow asked. “No doubt he would enjoy this symphony.” Rex began barking happily and running around in circles, his tail wagging furiously.

“He’s right here.” Blue gestured to who I assumed was Rex.

“Wait, what?” Purple asked.

“Reddy Bear?” Green wondered. Rex, er, Red, barked again and leapt onto the Note Blocks, lying on his back and panting. We all looked at Blue for an explanation.

“Remember the Potions of Transformation I used against the witch?” Blue smirked. “I certainly do. Red told me that he wanted to be a therapy dog. I decided to help make his dream a reality.”

“And I think right about now, he wants you to rub his belly, Purple.” I observed, chuckling. Purple looked at Red, who was panting happily and nodding. I saw a smile spread across Purple’s face.

“How can I resist you?” Purple asked, and he began rubbing Red’s puppy dog belly. The guys and I joined him, scratching Red all over. It was so cute and comforting, feeling his fur between my fingers, and Red was loving every minute of it most of all. It was a great day, connecting and reconnecting with friends, some new and some old. Even better, we helped bring a family back together, and that warms my heart beyond belief.

Epilogue (King)

After Purple and the kids left to hang out together, I took Gold to the park I took him when he was younger. He was so surprised when I pulled out my elytra and began floating in front of him for the first time. I grabbed hold of him and, after we landed, we simply walked and talked. It’s been so long since I’ve had one-on-one time with Goldy, and bringing him back to the old park brought back a wave of amazing memories from Gold’s youth.

“Those were the days, eh, Goldy?” I asked.

“For sure, Dad. For sure.” He answered. “I still remember how you tricked me into believing the sunset was made after our colors.”

“Little kids will believe anything.” I joked. Gold and I laughed. I didn’t realize how much I missed his laugh until I heard it for the first time in years. I forgot how sweet it was. “You know, Goldy… I’m so happy. I don’t think I’ve felt this way since I finalized my adoption of Purple.”

“I can see why. He’s a great kid. I’m excited to have him as a brother.” Gold professed. “Also, I want to say, thanks. Thanks for your forgiveness. I never knew it could come so easily. How can I repay you?”

“Just having you back in my life, my Golden Boy, is repayment enough.”

The two of us hugged each other and I kissed Goldy on his head. I could feel the tears of joy flowing down my face. After so long, so much pain and heartbreak, the Prodigal Son has finally come home.

And with my First Prize and my little Prince in my life as my sons…

I truly couldn’t be happier.

THE END