The 2 Million Subscriber Special (JaidenAnimations fanfic feat. theodd1sout)

Chapter 7 - Ari's masterplan

Some birds don't believe in a greater future. All we do is eat, sleep, reproduce and die. A vicious cycle continuing in every living being, passed on from generation to generation. Birds look down on humans, even though we are far less advanced than them.

However, their minds are filled with arrogance and ignorance as well. They believe that they are the sole dominant species of this planet, the only species capable of complex thought.

But I knew better. From when I just hatched from my egg, I knew a great destiny was awaiting me.

I hopped on the keyboard, knowing that my owner often used it. I had watched carefully how everything worked. She called the black square before me a "screen" and she often referred to others she would go on the "computer" and then proceeded to use these sets of devices.

She usually let me play beside her when she used the computer and sometimes, she suddenly talked to it. She would wave at it too and I would hear another human's voice coming from the computer. Initially, I thought that a mini human was trapped in the screen, so I began shrieking and flying against the screen. I wasn't very fond of humans, but knowing that a being was trapped in such a small space... It made me crazy thinking about it.

"Ari, calm down!" she had said. "I'm video-calling them now. They can see my face through here-" She tapped on a small, round object perched on the screen. "- and they can hear me as well. This person isn't in the computer, they're just at home with a camera and a microphone like me. This way, we can communicate with each other without physically being together. It's amazing how technology works, isn't it?"

"Are you really explaining this to your bird?" the voice from the screen spoke. "It's not going to understand, you know."

"Ari is a smart bird. Even though he may not understand me, he always seems to calm down a bit when I talk to him. But anyway..." She continued her conversation with the person which was apparently not trapped.

Foolish humans. They truly underestimated me. At least my owner somewhat acknowledged my intelligence, but the others just look at me like I'm a poop machine. Which by the way, is not entirely false. I silently cursed my too small and fast digestive system.

Anyway, I learned a lot from those kinds of conversations. I knew that the round object was somehow able to capture time and save it on the computer. I've seen numerous videos my owner made with me on them, and I had always seen a very handsome bird, so it must have been me.

It was simply a matter of trying to figure out how the computer worked. Luckily, it was already on, so all I had to do was to record myself.

Yes, I was going to dominate the internet. I could already see the headlines of news articles, the newest memes, countless merchandise... I knew that I was the perfect bird to succeed humankind.

I pressed the button of what I thought was the recording button and quickly flew towards my pile of berries.

"Hello everyone!" I shrieked. "Today, I'm going to show you true art. It's time for you peasants to see what I am truly capable of!"

I flung one blueberry towards the wall. Ah yes, I could see the picture coming together already.

"Take that, wall, take that for always confining me! You should be ashamed of yourself. With your filthy white color, who even likes you anyway? All walls are ever good for, is to trap those using false promises of safety!"

The blueberries were unstoppable. I was unstoppable. I ran out of ammo, so I raced down and quickly grabbed some more. I flung them with all of my emotions that were bottled up since my hatching.

This one was for Kelsey. That one was for Bob. Those despicable birds shall soon see my reign on the internet.

When I thought the wall was sufficiently purple, I paused the recording. Now I just needed to figure out how to post it on the internet.

The time has come. Finally, I can be of importance.

Unwillingly, I was reminded of my chickhood. The repressed memories filled my thoughts with every berry I threw.

I was always trying to impress everyone, whether it was a human or a bird. I thought that they would appreciate it, but my nest mates thought otherwise. They would pull at my feathers and gossip behind my back. I was the only blue-cheeked conure in the nest after all.

"Look at him, he's such a show off."

"Yeah, why does he always have to prance around like he's that important?"

"And look at his blue feathers, what a shame to our mother!"

But I knew better. I've known my destiny and I intended to stick with it. I continued to be myself, ignoring the rest of the birds who scoffed at me. They didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was world domination. I'll make this world a better place for my kind, the blue cheeked conure. First, I'll conquer the internet with my apparent "cuteness." Then, it was only a matter of taking control of my owner and her so called "subscribers".

But somewhere, I felt something about the things I was doing. It was an unpleasant feeling, nagging at my conscience. Was it fear of being caught? Repressed anger?

No, it was something else. Something that only beings who possess enough self awareness can feel.

Was it... guilt?

I shook the thought from my head. Why would I be guilty of anything? The people who look down upon me should be feeling guilty about their crimes.

Yet, I couldn't deny my true feelings. I didn't feel guilty about attacking a human, nor did I feel guilty about ruining the wall.

While thinking about this question, a face popped into my mind. I could imagine her warm, brown eyes, her hand gently stroking me whenever I was upset.

My owner.

What would she think about my actions? Whenever I misbehaved, she would look at me with eyes filled with disappointment instead of being angry. I shouldn't care about her, but it still felt "wrong." She wasn't as bad as the other humans were. She would always give me food, toys and anything my heart desired. I've never experienced something like that before.

Thinking about her made me feel more things I couldn't place. It was not only guilt. The thoughts evoked another, primal feeling inside me. Something... that reminded me of my chickhood, but warm and familiar instead of embarrassing and painful.

Is this what humans call "love"?

I heard someone come inside. Not wasting any more time pondering about my memories, I flew back towards my cage and closed the door. I had better things to do than to linger in the past. I could only hope that I managed to upload the video just in time.

aaah it's finally done. Did you like this chapter? I had a really stressful week, so I'm glad that it's over now (for the most part). Just one more chapter to go! Please tell me what you think about the story so far, I really appreciate it :D

And just because I can, I'll share another fun fact about the animal kingdom.

Just imagine: you're sitting in a fancy restaurant dining in a formal setting. You've invited a starfish (don't even question it), and the main course has just arrived. Remembering your proper etiquette, you tenderly cut the steak into bite-sized pieces and eat them as elegantly as you can.

The starfish on the other hand, has no sense of formality or even some well being for the people around him. He looks at his plate...

And barfs his entire digestive system onto it.

You watch in horror as his digestive enzymes break down the food in front of you, and he slowly withdraws his stomach contents. He thanks you politely for the invitation and walks away on his thousand tube-like feet.

And this, my children, is how a starfish eats. I suppose you didn't need to know that, especially if you were eating lol.

Anyway, thanks again for reading! :D