Too Young to Die - Bonds Unbroken (BadGrammarCat's main AU)

## A Heads Up

If you are wondering about character stuff, here it is!

Before you continue on with the read, here's some things you need to know. The first chapter takes place right after The Second Coming shot down The Dark Lord and left with their friends on Alan's cursor. The Chosen One went to check on The Dark Lord, and yeah that's where chapter 1 starts.

Pronouns for everyone

Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, The Dark Lord, Gold, and King Orange: he/him/his

Victim, Second, and Purple: they/them/theirs (Purple and Victim are girls but don't want to say that they both are one)

Orchid (Pink) and The Chosen One: she/her/hers

The story will be in first person, switching perspectives between The Chosen One and The Dark Lord.

You can also find this on the Animator vs Animation Wiki.

Well, with that out of the way, enjoy the read!

## Prologue - Destiny Calls

The Chosen One, The Dark Lord. I’ve heard of those myths and legends about us. But there’s much more to it than a stick might think. We were created, not born. I, myself, was created to be destroyed. But when my creator knew that I was going to be too much for him, he enslaved me. For four long years. I escaped, oh yes. But my creator made another sentient stick. He was created to be the destroyer. Of me. I had to fight him. I easily overpowered my opponent, and he surrendered. So I convinced him to team up against our creator. I convinced him to disobey his very programming. That’s what he did. Our creator’s computer was destroyed, instead of me. We built a life together, reining terror across the internet for fun. For eight long years. I was experiencing ‘fun’ for the first time in my life.

But then it grew to be too much. The Dark Lord, my brother, was taking it too far. I tried to convince him to stop, and that’s how a massive fight began. The Virabot, our creator’s new stick. All because The Dark Lord couldn’t see. I met my younger brother that I didn’t know I had. On a different PC, owned by the same man that enslaved me. As a popup-blocker. I almost didn’t go after the Virabot that The Dark Lord sent. Why should I? But I did anyway. That’s how I met them. The Second Coming was their file name. The name my creator gave to them. But their description was unnerving.-‘The Chosen One’s Return’. So, it turns out, I do have a successor. A direct one. But on that fateful day, I could see clearly why.

The orange body on the cliff face was bleeding, gushing red. From my former-friend’s Virablades. One second, he was still there, unconscious. Another second, and they were floating in the air, massacring the remaining Virabots instantly with a slicing green energy beam, binary code floating around them. Bloodied cuts upon their face and body faded and they rammed The Dark Lord’s body into the cliff face like he did to them. The Second Coming used their new powers to their advantage, and threw a huge rock at their enemy. Then they rapidly struck their would-be murderer, as he had done to them. The Dark Lord didn’t know what to do. He had messed with the wrong stick. As the newly transformed being charged up their laser beam, it looked as if a star had formed on their head. The Dark Lord was shaking with fear as he was rammed into the earth with a perfectly straight blast of a deadly green energy beam. An explosion followed, forming a large mushroom cloud in the blue IP address sky. The Second Coming went back to their fallen foe’s computer, making it issue a golden ray of light. Then they collapsed, their form fading.

I knew then and there that The Second Coming possesses immense power, greater than mine and The Dark Lord’s combined. That’s when I knew. They were meant to be my successor. They were created to be. And destiny calls.

## Chapter 1 - Immediate Aftermath

“Dark! Dark, wake up! Oh, god, Dark… Please don’t die!”

I heard a distant voice call out to me. My ears were ringing and I couldn’t stand up. Plus, my torso was throbbing and I refused to open my eyes for the fear of what I would see. All thanks to that orange kid. I stirred in the crater that I had been rammed into, trying to get up, when the voice stopped rambling. “C-Cho? Chosen?” I stuttered, trying to speak through the blood in my mouth.

“Dark! You’re awake! How are you feeling?” the distant voice asked me. I started to cough, and the blood came spilling out of my mouth. I could feel the warm substance all over my throbbing torso. “Oh, shoot. That’s a dumb question to ask, isn’t it?”

“You came back. Why?” I asked, chest heaving, ignoring Chosen’s query. It was easier to speak now.

“Because you’re my brother,” Chosen answered simply. She carefully and slowly gathered my battered body into her shaking and trembling arms.

“Ow. Where are we going, Cho?” I asked, using the nickname I came up with many years ago.

“We’re going back to the house so you can get some rest,” Chosen told me, matter-of-factly. “I’m going to patch you up.”

“Oh, okay. I understa- wait, WHAT?! You’re not going to beat me up or.. or.. leave me to die?” I struggled to think of a reason.

“Dark, why the heck would I do that?” Chosen laughed lightly, like it was a no-brainer to take an old friend back to a house to get patched up after said friend tried to kill them.

My words of protest were drowned out as Chosen ignited her left hand, while holding me steadily in the other, propelling us both upwards into the air. I opened my eyes a crack and could see where we were flying to. Our two-story shack. It took a little bit to get there in Chosen’s state, but she gracefully landed onto the scorched grass surrounding the building. The house wasn’t exactly in tip-top shape now, though. There were three holes in the walls.  I counted them as Chosen climbed up the stairs to my room. The one that stuck out the most was the one where I tried to fling a fireball at her. I regretted that. Deeply.

“Alright, let’s see… I’ll just set you on the bed,” Chosen mumbled to herself rather than me. I noticed that we were inside my room. Most of the stuff in there was a bright red color, like myself. I winced as I was laid onto the bed, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep, exhausted.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Chosen

I sighed. Dark was out. Time to patch him up. I stumbled down the stairs, my eyes drooping. I tried to blink to stay awake. As much as I wanted to drift off to blissful sleep, as much as my body ached and pleaded for rest, I had to keep going. For Dark’s sake. I couldn’t help but notice the severe laser burns and bleeding scratches all over his chest and arms. Most of which Second gave him. I was to blame for some of them, though. I finally reached the first floor and I grabbed the first-aid kit on the wall. I grimaced as I saw  deep red scratches on my left arm, not to mention the black and blue bruise that was starting to form on my shoulder. I also had a cut over my right eye, which was bleeding like hell. I grabbed a tissue and dabbed it carefully. Slowly, I climbed back upstairs with the first-aid kit in hand. My body was aching and I winced in agony, blood dripping, but finally I reached the top. A trail of crimson followed me into Dark’s room, where he lay fast asleep. I used the last roll of bandages on the red hollowhead, and I sighed as I ran out wrapping his torso and lower chest. Oh, well. I’ll get some more when I feel better. I closed the first-aid kit and laid it on Dark’s desk, still holding onto the finished roll of bandages. I then gently placed the sheets on top of his chest, covering the bandaged area. Satisfied, I turned to go; but in his sleep, Dark grabbed my wrist, whispered, “Stay, Cho…” and pulled me back to the edge of the bed. I chuckled softly and brought his desk chair over. I placed the roll onto the bed sheets next to Dark. I sat down, my head resting on my aching arm, looking at his sleeping form. I watched his chest rising and falling rhythmically while his hand gripped mine.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Dark

When I woke up again, it was light out. The sun’s golden rays flooded into the room through the window, basking me in its warm light. I shifted my head and looked over to my left. Chosen was asleep in a chair, her head drooped over a still bleeding- wait. Her wounds weren’t bandaged! Why didn’t she- suddenly, I saw the empty roll of bandages right next to me, plus my bandaged body. Oh. So that’s why. I carefully took my hand out of Chosen’s and tried to sit up,  but flashes of pain ran down my torso and lower back. “Augh! Ow…” I groaned as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as quiet as I thought I was and the sleeping Chosen startled awake. She took her hand and pushed me back into bed.

“Dark! What are you doing? Lie down. You’re in no position to move,” she yelped, keeping her hand firmly on my chest.

“Alright, alright. But just tell me something. Why didn’t you split the roll of bandages so we could get the most severe scratches patched up? Why did you waste them all on me?” I asked, worried about Chosen’s physical state.

She sighed. “Because you needed them more than I did.” I found myself staring into her brilliant ruby-colored eyes. One of which had a cut over it. I ran a finger gently down along the scratch, which was covered in dried blood.

“You have a cut here,” I said, stating the obvious. Chosen sighed.

“It’s nothing,” she insisted. I raised an eyebrow.

“It’s nothing?” I teased.

“Yes. I’ll deal with it later.”

“Chosen, do it.”

“It’s fine, Dark! Drop it.”

“No. Either you go clean it or I’m gonna get out of bed.”

“......Ugh, fine. You win. But just know this: you’re impossible.”

I chuckled softly to myself as the door closed and Chosen went downstairs to properly disinfect the cut, taking the first-aid kit along with her.

## Chapter 2 - Saturdays

Chosen decided not to tell Second that I was alive and well, which was probably for the best. She kept visiting them every Saturday, though, to keep them company. I was doing pretty well, considering the fact that I was severely injured three months ago. I still had the scar from the laser that orange kid shot at me. It was really painful back then, and I still refuse to talk about it. Chosen herself is doing well, too. She met a stick at a pharmacy during a visit to Stick!City and they became fast friends. No evidence remained on Chosen’s body except for the scar over her eye. It was from my Virablades, the very ones I killed the kid’s friends with. Looking back, I always regret it. On a higher note, we both decided to keep living in the old shack, and I helped Chosen dismantle the seven portal doors in the cliff wall, plus the computer. I burned the blueprints of the Virabots and destroyed the launcher (or what was left of it) so that nothing remained of the past.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Saturday, 9:00 AM. Chosen should be awake by now. Huh, I wonder what’s going on. Getting out of bed, I walked down the hallway to Chosen’s room and opened the door.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

                Cho

I woke up sore. My legs and shoulders took the worst of it. I didn’t remember doing anything that intense yesterday… Oh, well.

               And then I heard the door open.

“Hey, Chosen! It’s Saturday! Get a move on,” Dark shook me. I was still in bed,  yawning. “You don’t want to be late, do you? It’s the day where you get to visit Second and their four stick friends.”

“And the day where I visit Alan,” I whispered quietly yet darkly.

“Brush that thought aside. Come on, don’t you want to go? From what you’ve been telling me, Second seems to be SUPER enthusiastic about you coming over,” Dark explained. I kept telling myself that he was just caring about me.

“Oh, alright. I’ll go.” I forced my sore body to get up and out of bed. I dressed in a light shirt and black pants, topped off with a short white leather coat. I said goodbye to Dark and got ready to fly up to the IP addresses above.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Saturday, 9:30 AM. What was I going to do? Eh, I’ll just sleep in some more. I’m kinda tired still. I set my alarm for 11:00 AM. That should do. I climbed back into bed and drifted back to sleep.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

I made it to the portal in the sky and found myself in Alan’s PC moments later. I stretched out my sore shoulders and did a few kicks and punches, part of my morning routine (which I had forgotten to do). As I was in the middle of a roundhouse kick, an orange blur ran past my line of sight. And back into it.

“CHOSEN’S HERE!!!!” Second shouted, way louder than necessary. I put my leg down and grasped my left arm with my right. “Oh, sorry… didn’t mean to scare you, Cho!” Second said. I was starting to remember just how young they were.

“Second, can you not just shout ‘Chosen’s here’ when we’re doing stuff?” Yellow came sauntering into the room. “Well, even then, The Chosen One is here.”

I just stood there stupidly, clutching my arm and looking anywhere but Yellow and Second.

“Um, happy Saturday?” I shrugged.

“HAPPY SATURDAY, CHOSEN!” Second shouted again, WAY louder than the last outburst. I blushed a little. They were kinda cute when they \*tried to\* endear me, I had to admit. So I let out a chuckle and patted my younger brother on the head.

“Okay, okay. What are we doing today?” I asked, uneasily. Hopefully it wasn’t going to be a pillow fort day. Second just shrugged and pulled me along to the kitchen, gripping my hand extra tightly for some reason.

“We were thinking that Blue could cook up some breakfast and then we could all take a trip to Stick!City after?” I tensed and stopped in my tracks as I heard the last two words. Stick!City?

“Uh, S-Sec, I’m not sure I wanna go there at the moment…”

“Oh, come on, Chosen! Please stop being a hermit and get out of your shell! You’ve been living in that old shack for what stick knows how long.”

I stood wide-eyed. How did Second know?

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

I was just getting out of the portal, astonished as to how Dark could get so much done in such little time. Everything was on fire. Literally EVERYTHING. How does he do it? But then- I realized that there was something wrong. Something was stopping me from adding more flames to the wreckage. Was it the civilians? Was it the way they screamed and ran away? Was it that Dark was destroying  anyone who dared to oppose him?

“Dark! Please, I’m tired. Can we just go back to our shack?” I pleaded. Dark paid no attention. “Don’t you get bored of all this stuff sometimes?”

“What in the world do you mean?” Now he was starting to pay attention to my words. “We’re having fun, aren’t we?”

“Dark, please! Please, understand.. I’m tired. Maybe we should just call it qu-”

“Chosen, come on! Stop being a hermit and get out of your shell! Isn't this what you want?”

“... Alright.” I lit my hands and sent out flaming fireballs, which caught fire to what wasn’t burning already. Dark didn’t seem to understand what I was getting at. I’ll tell him another day. Maybe he’ll understand then, I thought.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

“... is that alright, Cho?” A small, meek voice cut through my memory.

“Wha- sorry?” I was still standing in the same spot. Urgh. What is wrong with me?!

“Ahem… I was saying, how about we all just go to Stick!City for  30 minutes at the most after Blue cooks us breakfast? Just to walk and take a look around?” Second was suggesting an idea I did not want to go through with.

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose and furrowing my brows. My long black hair brushed over my face.

“Oh! Do you need a hair tie?” Second asked. I looked up at them. They were holding out a fresh, new orange hair tie.

“No, thanks, Second.” I produced a clip out of my pocket instead. I looked at it fondly, running a finger down the smooth, painted edges.

“Ooh, what’s that?”

“It’s a hairclip.”

“Mind explaining?”

I answered, “Dark had given it to me, for my fifteenth birthday. He carved it out of wood and risked showing his face to the public to get ‘fire-proof’ paint and artist’s gloss. He wrapped it in some newspaper and shoved it in my hands as soon as I woke up…

‘Ugh, Dark! What is this?’ I had asked him.

‘Your birthday present, of course!’ he said as if it was obvious.

‘My birthday isn’t really anything worthy of celebration…’ I had trailed off, not knowing what to say.

‘Just open it!’ I could tell he was giddy with excitement. So I had no choice but to unwrap the mysterious object.

‘It better not be a bomb,’ I said while eying Dark suspiciously.

‘Oh, trust me. It’s a bomb.’

I nearly dropped the half--unwrapped parcel. Dark snickered.

‘Stop that. Right. Now.’ I teased, trying my best to make my voice sound  threatening.

‘Oooh, I’m shaking in my boots, I’m so scared~!’ Dark was indeed wearing boots.

I burst out laughing. Whether it was his tone or the way he was acting, I had no idea. It felt good, laughing. With Dark.

I finished unwrapping the parcel, gasping as I looked at the contents inside. It was a hairclip, one of those with many teeth. It was black, underlined with red, and there were golden highlights bordering it. I also discovered that there were fire patterns all along the sides, all painted neatly in bright colors and resembling my fire powers.

‘Oh, Dark! Where did you get this? How did you get the money to buy it? Or did you- hang on. Don’t tell me that you stole it.’

‘What? No!’ Dark exclaimed. ‘Actually, I made it. Out of wood. Oh, and it’s completely fire-proof! Can you believe they actually sell paint that’s-’

Dark was cut off with a tight hug from me. He melted into my arms.

‘Thank you. So much.’ And I truly meant it.

After that, I put the clip on right away, gasping again when I saw something sparkle out of the corner of my eye. I took the clip off and inspected the shining object. It was a strand of metal. Little golden chain loops were interconnected and at the end, dangling, was… a pendant- of fire. I could see that there were two other ones as well. The fire was in the middle, with thunderbolt and iceberg jewels dangling along with it. It was beautiful. The pendants were shiny and smooth, and cold to the touch.

‘Oh my god… I don’t know what to say, Dark! How long did it take you?’ I was bewildered.

‘Eh, just about seven months,’ he said casually.

I just gaped in astonishment and amazement.

I pulled Dark into another hug, and he melted once again.

I put the clip back on, whispering a quiet ‘thank you’ into his ear. I didn’t want the moment to end.

….So that’s how I got this clip. For my birthday.”

I was out of breath, and my throat was dry. Everyone was standing around me now, even Blue. He handed me a glass of water, as if reading my thoughts. I gratefully took it, gulping it down. After I returned the glass back to Blue, I pulled my unruly hair into a bun, securing the long black strands with the handmade clip. Some little wisps escaped and dangled at the sides, but I didn’t care. That usually happens.

“Let’s have breakfast first. I’m practically starving!”

Everyone nodded, smiling.

“Thanks for doing this, Cho. I know it’s hard for you to go there,” Second patted my shoulder comfortingly.

“It’s fine, Second. But… just this once.”

## Chapter 3 - Lies

Green was doubtful. And suspicious of Second’s sister. He had to do something.

“Hey, Yel!” he called to Yellow just as he was leaving the room. Everyone else had left.

Yellow blushed and turned around.

“Yeah, Green? What’s up?”

“It’s-” Green started.

“It’s Ch- Second’s sister, isn’t it?” Yellow cut Green off.

“Yeah. Something’s not right, I can feel it. We gotta do something! Like, strike first with no mercy!” Green suggested, his eyes brightening.

“No, no, no. We can’t do anything until we ask some questions about her. I’ll go, and you stay here and observe from afar.” Yellow told Green, walking to the kitchen. He sat down next to Red.

Green sighed. This could be a while.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Chosen

I had heard everything Yellow and Green had said. So they were suspicious, were they? Whatever, I thought. I’d show them that once you have my trust, it’s nearly impossible to break.

“Hey, Cho?” Second asked.

“What’s up, Sec?” I turned to my sibling.

“Why do you have such sharp teeth?”

That wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought about how to answer for a moment.

“Oh, uh.. it’s kinda hard to explain,” I started, “but..hollowheads almost always have sharp teeth. It’s what we’re born with. The more you use your powers, if you have any, the sharper they become.”

“There is a limit, right?” Second inquired, looking nervous.

“Of course there is,” I reassured them, chuckling.

“But.. I have them. And they are pretty sharp, although not as much as yours. I don’t have any powers, so why do I even have pre-sharpened teeth?”

I stopped and stared hard at the hollowhead sitting next to me.

If Second never told their friends-

Or… maybe if they never-

Oh.

Oh.

“Hey, Second! Can ya help me with something?” Red asked before I could respond to Second’s question.

The stick in question looked at me, tilting their head, almost as if they were asking permission to go.

“What are you looking at me for? Go ahead, we’ll talk later,” I ushered Second off the chair.

“Thanks, Cho! See you soon,” Second called back as they rushed off to help their friend.

Yellow came and took the seat where Second had just been sitting. He turned to me.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Isn’t that already a question?” I teased.

Yellow waved it off. “So….how did you get your powers?”

I sat there in stunned silence. “My powers…?” I asked. I thought I had heard wrong.

“Yes. How did you get them?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I dunno.. I guess Noo- uh, Alan, gave them to me. I was created by him, after all. Maybe it would be best if you ask him yourself.. I just don’t like thinking about it.”

“Why? What happened between you and him?” Boy, Yellow sure was persistent.

“I don’t like talking about that, either,” I responded, tone a little heated.

“Hasn’t Second ever asked you?”

“Well…yes.”

“And haven't you ever answered?”

“No.”

“Is it okay if you tell them and then they tell me and Red, Green and Blue? I mean, if it’s too uncomfortable to talk about it in front of us. I’ve seen how you two always spend time together,” Yellow stated, with a matter-of-factly expression.

I hesitated and thought about it for a long while. I guessed it wouldn’t hurt… as long as I wasn’t in the room. “Fine. But Second’s out helping Red, so they won’t be back for a while,” I informed Yellow.

“Oh..well, okay. I can wait.” He got up out of his seat and sprinted to the couch on the taskbar.

-Ten minutes later-

“Chosen, I’m back!” Second came running into the kitchen, their eyes bright and radiant.

“And so you are,” I smiled back at them.

“What were we talking about again, before I left?” They seemed eager to continue.

“Actually…..do you remember asking me about..” I needed to tread lightly. “My.. past?”

“Oh, yeah! Are you finally going to tell me about it?”

“Well, yes, since Yellow wanted to know.”

“Okay. Should we stay in the kitchen?”

“Let’s talk in private. Can I go up to your room?” I hoped they would let me.

“Sure.” Second nodded and took me by the hand. We made it to their room and I closed the door and locked it, to be safe.

I sat on the edge of the bed, and Second sat next to me. I took a deep breath. How to start?

“Okay. So, when I was created, the first thing I saw was a cursor, floating just a few inches away from my head…

“I was fueled with immense energy; I  could feel it flowing through my veins. It felt like liquid fire. My senses told me that the cursor was a threat, so I attacked it. The cursor and I had had a long fight, but even with all my powers, I’d lost. I…I had lost my first battle with my creator. And when I lost, he-” My voice broke. I didn’t want to say what happened.

“Chosen? Are you okay?” Second came closer and wrapped their arms around my neck.

“Yeah. I’m okay,” I said, leaning into the hug.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

I wasn’t sure. The past felt  too painful to retell.

“Give me a moment.”

“Sure! Anything for you, Cho.”

We sat like that for a while. It was nice to feel my sibling’s comforting arms around me.

“Okay, I can finish the story now.”

Second nodded and released me from the hug.

“When I lost, my creator imprisoned me. Made me his own little pop-up ad blocker. He kept me like that for four years, almost five. I did escape eventually, though, and I completely destroyed his computer.” I didn’t mention the chain that I’d gotten off my ankle during my escape.

Second was staring at me, their eyes wide with shock.

“S-so you’re telling me that our creator, Alan, made you a po-” They stuttered.

I nodded. I didn’t know what else to say.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Still Chosen

“ALAN DID WHAT?!” Everyone on the couch downstairs shouted in unison. I could hear them even from upstairs in Second’s room, with the door closed.

I heard Second’s voice.“I’m going to go talk to him.”

Things could get out of hand quickly. I opened the door and rushed down the stairs to a spot where I could see Second and Alan talking. Well, it was more like texting.

[Alan, why the heck would you enslave your own creation?!]

[How would you know?]

[Did even you say sorry for all that you DID to her?!]

[No, but it’s on my to-do list. I can do it now if you like.]

[OK, then. Wait here, I’ll go get her.]

Second turned around, realizing  I was right there on the stairwell behind them. “Oh, Chosen. Alan wants to apologize to you…I know you don’t know how to talk to him, but maybe we can try.”

“I’ll just pull some letters from a nearby text. It’ll be fine.” I walked over to Alan and the cursor. I stopped looking at it and stood there on the toolbar, waiting for a text box to appear.

[I’m sorry. For everything. I’m sorry for forcing you to be something you didn’t want to be. I’m sorry for being too naive and stupid. I never wanted that, I just panicked. There was no other solution at that moment. I was inexperienced, and I didn’t know that all created sticks are sentient, and I really am sorry.]

I didn’t know what to say to that. I thought of something, racing around the PC grabbing letters from tabs, URL’s, and other random places.

[Alan, when I first met you, the impression you gave off was ‘cruel’, and ‘abusive’. You enslaved me, you forced The Dark Lord to be something he didn’t want to be as well. But you’ve changed. A lot. You treat Second with respect, and you don’t abuse or do anything like you did to me anymore. You let Second and their friends roam around the computer freely. I’m happy that you’re willing to do that for my sibling, but that’s no excuse for messing up back then in 2007. With me, with The Dark Lord. I can never fully accept your apology, but I can see that you’re doing and acting much better. So do me a favor: stay this way. Don’t ever do what you did to me again, and maybe in time, I can finally forgive you.]

With that, I turned away and left the room. The cursor didn’t move.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Green

“Yel?” Green asked, getting up from the couch sitting on the toolbar.

“Yeah?” The stick in question looked at Green.

“Do you believe a word she said? About Alan treating her that way?”

“Second seemed to believe her, and they know what happened up there in their room,” Yellow responded, pushing his goggles up in the process.

Green didn’t respond. Instead, he went to the living room, where Chosen had entered a few minutes ago.

When walked in, he saw her curled up on the couch there, staring at the ground, her hands wrapped around her right ankle.

Green was taken aback by the scene but quickly wiped the surprised look off his face when Chosen looked up to see who was there.

“Oh, it’s you.. Sorry you have to see me like this, I just-” she started to stand up.

“You don’t need to say anything more.” Green took a few steps toward Chosen. She looked genuinely confused.

“What do you mean?” she was concerned now.

“You know perfectly well what I mean,” Green was slowly inching his way towards Chosen, a  strangely determined look etched across his face.

“I’m afraid I don’t,” Chosen said, backing away from Green, her eyes focusing on him.

“You know that you can stop pretending now, right?” he inched closer.

“What are you talking about?” Chosen’s voice had a certain edge to it that Green couldn’t pinpoint.

“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re pretending to be our friend, getting Second on your side,” Green counted on his fingers, still slowly advancing.

“Green, I can tell why you think this. I do have dangerous powers, yes, and I understand why you’re suspicious about me, but I promise I mean no harm to you or your friends,” Chosen’s voice was softer now. She walked closer to Green, almost reaching out to him.

The next moment was a blur. One second, Green was perfectly still. Another, he was running at Chosen. He aimed a blow to her chest, but she quickly blocked it. Her expression was one of pure shock.

“The hell was that for?!” she half-shouted, breathing uneven.

Green didn’t respond. Instead, he attacked again and again, Chosen having to parry and block countless times over.

“You lied to my friends, my family, to do what? To take over the computer? To destroy it? To destroy us?” Green was relentless, giving blows whenever he could without mercy.

“I’m not like him! I never will be! Please, Green. I-” she was openly crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Say that to my sword,” Green said coldly. He brandished a gleaming, tinted diamond Minecraft sword. It was the best one he had, enchanted with Sharpness V and Sweeping Edge III.

“Green, listen to me. I don’t want any trouble.”

Either Green didn’t catch the words or he completely ignored them; he anxiously swung the sword at Chosen’s middle section. Chosen still managed to get out a few words to Green, all the while trying to defend herself from the very sharp and totally magnificent weapon which he was wielding.

“Green! I’m serious- I promise, I mean absolutely no harm to anyone! Please, I just want to be peaceful with everyone. I just want to be with the sticks that care about and accept me. You know what I’ve been through.... I was alone for five years, then my friend, my brother, betrayed me…” She let the sentence trail off, realizing that Green probably wouldn’t feel very pleasant remembering what had happened.

At the subtle mention of Dark, Green froze and finally said something.

“Don’t you dare mention him again.”

“Green.. I’m- I’m really sorry about him. I.. I didn’t mean for that to come out-” Chosen’s voice was barely a whisper. That whisper turned into a yelp of outrage as Green brought the edge of his sword to Chosen’s arm. The sword made contact- her lower arm bled like a waterfall. There was a big gaping wound opened in her skin, cut down nearly to the bone.

Chosen stumbled back and clutched her head with her non-bleeding arm. She was dizzy from the blood loss. Quickly, she clumsily bandaged the wound with the old bandages from her wrists, slowly backing away from Green. The room was dead silent for a couple of minutes-though it seemed like hours to the pair of sticks occupying the room.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Second (narrator)

A sob.

A few seconds later, a terrified yelp.

But not just any yelp. It sounded like… Chosen’s.

The sounds were coming from the room nearby.

Second was sitting on the couch on the desktop when they heard the noises. Blue and Red were with them, also sitting on the couch, but Yellow and Green were nowhere to be seen.

“Are you guys hearing that?” A look of worry creased their face as they turned to their friends.

“Yeah, I do.. I think it’s coming from the living room…?” Blue pointed to the doorway.

“Maybe Yellow and Green are sparring? I haven’t seen either of them for a while,” Red suggested.

“I’m gonna-” Second started to say, but was cut off by a searing, burning pain in their lower left arm. They groaned in agony, and Blue scooted closer to see what was wrong.

“Second! Can you hear me? Where are you hurt?”

“My left arm,” they whispered.

Blue gingerly held the arm up but saw no visible injury. “What the-?”

Crash!

“What was that?!” Red shouted. “Blue, you stay here and look after Second. I'm going to investigate,” Red jumped off of the couch, sprinting into the living room.

“I need.. to.. see..,” Second trailed off, trying to stand up despite their pain.

Blue sighed and helped his friend into the living room. As soon as they neared the doorway, Second saw… Green, holding a crimson-tinged sword, and Chosen, clutching the opposite wall like it was a lifeline, blood seeping through her bandages and dripping slowly from her arm. Second’s eyes widened with shock.

“What..happened?” Blue whispered under his breath.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Victim

It was a normal day. Just minding my own business in this little office of mine, doing paperwork, occasionally looking up at the clock to see whether it was lunchtime yet. 9:24. It’d only been twenty-four minutes, but it still felt like I’d been working for hours. I sighed, and helplessly shifted my gaze to the huge stack of papers and forms piling up on my desk. Still no luck with The Chosen One. Fifteen whole years of tracking, all of our leads concluding to nothing. I decided to go back to sleep, as the room was quiet and no one had come up the elevator. The papers and forms could wait, at least for a little while. I wearily set my head on the table… but as I did, my left arm flared up in pain. I quickly looked to see if I had cut it on the papers below my elbow, but I didn’t see a single mark. Ugh, not now, I thought. My nerves were probably acting up again. I brushed the pain off. I had experienced worse, after all… I set my head back on the desk, and drifted off to sleep just before the doors of the elevator slid open.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Dark

I awoke from my extended sleep when a pain suddenly spread like fire across my lower left arm. I winced and bit my lip to cope with the pain. Cho must’ve hurt herself. With what, I wonder? I realized that no one else was with me in the small shack, so I let go of my bottom lip and let out a small whimper. I sat up on the bed and checked the time- 9:24 AM. I had been asleep for an hour and twenty-four minutes. Slowly, I got up and walked down the stairs, the pain in my arm still not fading. I opened the fridge door and took out an ice pack, sitting on the couch with a sigh. The icy cold of the pack felt good against the sting of whatever kind of wound I had just shared with Cho. The clock ticked reciprocally, over and over again. 9:25, 9:26.. I decided to take note of how many minutes it would take until Chosen came back.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Chosen

I could hardly believe what was happening. The short fight with Green had been a blur in my memory, after it the only thing I could remember clearly was the beginning- where he started attacking me. Now, he was standing still, as if surprised by the action he had just committed, although he wore no such expression on his face. I was still feeling faint, but strength was returning to me and my arm was continuing to heal pretty fast, considering the fact that I could see the white of my bone minutes before.

Just then, I saw a red figure standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and mouth gaping. It was Red, of course. He looked like he was having trouble taking in the scene before him. Green, with his slightly gruesome bloodied sword, and me- backed up against the wall, still forcefully clutching my arm. Yeah, I could pretty much see why Red was so speechless.

“W-What happened here-?” Red asked quietly, being careful not to startle the both of us.

I didn’t feel like saying anything. My mind was still fuzzy and I still felt lightheaded. I just looked down at the crimson puddle soaked into the ground. My blood. I noticed that Green hadn’t said anything either. He was still staring at Red coldly, holding his enchanted sword.

“GREEN, WHAT THE HELL?!”

My head snapped up. I immediately regretted it as the world started spinning violently, making me nauseous. I let out a small groan and brought my working arm to my forehead.

It was Second who had yelled. Oh, boy.

“What were you trying to do?!” Second shouted. Green muttered something that I didn’t quite catch.

“Why did you do this to her?!”

Green opened his mouth to say something but Second cut him off.

“What were you thinking?!”

This time, Second let Green get a couple words in.

“I didn’t want you guys to get hurt. What if she was plotting something? What if she wanted to do what he did?”

“I already told you a million times, Green. I have never wanted to kill you, or hurt you in any way! But still, you’ve never listened to me,” I spoke in a hushed, desperate tone, trying to calm the argument down.

Green received another death glare from Second, and he abruptly gave the sword to them, leaving the room with a huff. I heard more footsteps running up the stairs to the bedrooms.

Blue came over and asked me if I was okay. My head was still hurting a bit and the room kept spinning. His voice sounded muffled and I could barely get any more words out, but I allowed him to carry me upstairs on a small makeshift stretcher to the infirmary, so I could get my wound properly treated.

## Chapter 4 - TBD

yeah, um.. still cleaning some stuff up on the google doc I type on, so don't expect too much. Sorry for the delays!