Zeta finally said yes. Reuniting with her soulmate had thawed her heart. Sometime after the events of Eagle Island, birds, pigs, and eagles gathered together to celebrate everything being peaceful again, and the marriage of Mighty Eagle and Zeta. Red was asked to officiate the ceremony. She was skeptical about the idea of celebrating the marriage of someone who tried to destroy her home... but Chuck convinced her and said, "Who doesn't love a wedding?"

"Oh, Terence!" Matilda said excitedly. "This is like our wedding, but expensive!"

Debbie looked adorable sprinkling flowers down the aisle. Zeta was finally getting the wedding she deserved. And Red had a pink lotus flower tucked in her head feathers, which made her plumage appear brighter in color. Leonard couldn't stop staring, and that just made her blush. One could see it if her feathers weren't already red.

"Ladies and gentlemen, birds and pigs, we are gathered here today... because of these two characters," Red recited as she stood behind the bride and groom. "Not only because they are being joined in holy matrimony, but also because one of them tried to destroy our islands for her own selfish reasons. Guess who."

Zeta blushed and giggled like it was no big deal.

"It's such a beautiful wedding!" Chuck cried.

"It really is!" Steve the frozen eagle agreed, shedding an icy tear. Well, either that, or he was starting to melt.

Red went on. "But Mighty Eagle swooped in at the last second, and got all the credit for stopping her."

"Yes you did, baby," Zeta cooed proudly.

Silver motioned for Red to wrap up the barbed comments. She had to let it go.

"I now pronounce you eagle and husband. You may now kiss the-"

"Come here!" Zeta beat Red to the punch. She bent Mighty Eagle backward and kissed him like there was no tomorrow... and then some. Everyone stared at them in shock and mothers had to block their children's eyes.

"Alright!" Leonard whooped. "Get 'em, Mighty Eagle- Whoa, that is disgusting!"

"Go, Zeta! Go, Dad!" Debbie cheered.

Ding-ding-ding!

"Attention!" Matilda announced, tapping her glass. "Attention, everybody! Eyes on me! Hi! Hi, look up here! I would like to propose a toast to the bird who made all of this possible... Our hero, Red! Give it up for Red!"

The crowd chanted Red's name as Vivi and Sam-Sam jumped up and down.

"You're a hero, Red!" Zoe cheered as her parents held her and three eggs in their arms. Everyone else seemed to agree, they picked Red up and carried her to a stage.

Once Red got back on her feet, she saw Silver in the back of the crowd, carrying a backpack. She saluted her, and Red was about to return it, but Chuck grabbed her shoulders.

"Looks like they still love you, Red," he whispered, and ran back to the crowd.

Red decided this called for a speech. "Okay, well, you know, I'm, um... I'm honored, everybody. I, uh, really. I am, and I just, um..."

Red watched as Silver walking away from the crowd to a slingshot. This wasn't right. She knew what she had to do.

"Uh, two seconds," Red told the crowd. "Give me two seconds, I'll be right back."

"Woo! Good speech!" Bomb cheered, clapping. Chuck stopped him as the heist crew watched her run through the crowd after Silver.

"Excuse me, pardon me, just trying to squeeze through here," Red said to the crowd as she caught up to the wide-eyed bird.

"Hey! Hey, Silver!"

Silver glanced back in confusion. Just as the slingshot released, Red grabbed her backpack and pulled her back just as the slingshot unfurled. Red and Silver walked back to the stage together.

"Wow, I, uh..." Red began. "Thank you, guys. Thank you for this, and all the support and love. You know, it means, uh, it means everything to me. But... I don't deserve it. She does."

"What just happened?" Mighty Eagle asked Zeta, who was smiling. She knew exactly what was happening.

"Is that the nerd from our physics class?" a bird wondered.

"This is the real hero, right here," Red told the crowd. "Silver is the one who came up with the plan to stop the superweapon, and, ultimately, saved all our lives."

Silver began to blush with modesty. "Red, I didn't do this all on my own..."

"Right, because we're a team," Red added. "We couldn't have done anything without Chuck and Bomb, or Courtney and Garry, or Leonard... You know what? Actually, we probably could've done it without Leonard. Let's be honest, huh?"

"Leonard's the man!" Leonard shouted to his girlfriend. "I did everything! I got the sub!"

Red smiled at him before continuing. "And even Mighty Eagle. And last but certainly not least, those adorable hatchlings. We are strongest when we all band together. Just like Super String!"

"Let's hear it for Silver!" Ella cheered. The rest of the crowd applauded.

Jay gasped. "I wanna be an engineer!"

Holding up the Super String, Red motioned behind her. "Okay, Garry, now!"

"On it!" Garry whispered back, and clicked a remote. A giant tarp covering the remains of Eagle Mountain was lifted by multiple piggy drones, and the crowd went wild once it revealed the faces of everyone who saved their islands carved into it. The new monument was called Hero Mountain!

"Oh, my gosh!" Zoe exclaimed. "We're famous!"

"Oh, look! It's me!" Leonard said.

"You see, these guys are the real heroes," Red told them. "They're the ones who deserve your love, not me."

As Red looked away, Silver gazed at her sympathetically.

"We love you even more now, Red!" Alex shouted, causing her eyes to widen. The rest of the crowd cheered with him.

"See?" Silver said. "You're not in this alone."

Red smiled at her friend. "Thank you..." she held out her wing tip, "... sister."

Silver's large eyes widened. Instead of locking their wing tips together, she pulled Red in for a hug. Red was surprised, but happily returned the embrace.

"I'm married now! Let's party, y'all! I is married!" Zeta shouted, throwing her veil into the air. Using his super speed, Chuck popped all the champagne and fireworks exploded into the night!

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

While the party raged below, Red sat alone up at Hero Mountain and poured herself a glass of sparkling cider. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy having fun with her friends, but sneaking away from parties was just a habit of hers.

"There you are!" Leonard said, joining her. "Why are you up here?"

"I'm kind of a wallflower," she admitted as he poured himself a glass. "You might as well respect me. I respect you."

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you dis me?"

"I can't give you too much respect."

Clink!

"Well, do you have anything good to say about me?" he asked, putting his glass down.

Red took a sip from her own glass and thought for a second. "If it wasn't for you... I wouldn't be who I am today. So... thank you."

"Red, look at me," Leonard said quietly, holding her face. She put down her glass of cider. "You are not nothing. You are everything. And... And I love you."

That sparkle in Red's eyes returned. "I love you, too, Leonard."

After they shared a sweet kiss, Leonard pulled Red close to him and wrapped an arm around her. It was a strange feeling. Red thought Leonard was her greatest enemy, but she could no longer imagine spending another moment without him. Placing a wing on his chest, she closed her eyes and smiled.

This was everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvL_-Awg2gg

Well, that's the end of Piece By Piece. I really hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

Live long and prosper. 🖖