The Sovereign of Shadow
...
Ahem! Today, I'm going to tell you the story of The Shadow Queen.
An awfully long time ago...In a strange and far-off land, a big bustling town thrived. It was a town where all people lived very happy lives. And it was said that the town was very prosperous.
But one day...tragedy befell this blessed place. A great cataclysm struck the town and its people. Darkness filled the sky, and the earth roared and shook. It was as if the very world had come to a violent end. During that night four heroes rose to the occasion to help stop this demon of destruction, the grand demonic witch of the Shadow Sirens, and the dreaded Shadow Queen. They knew that facing such an unstoppable being was considered suicide by the townspeople who looked at the female demon in human form. A pale-looking human with red eyes gazed at her opposition, her purple hair floating in the wind that was filled with the wailing of the deceased as she pointed her hand at the opponents challenging her reign.
"Do you four wish to challenge your queen? How foolish of you!"
Despite the efforts of these heroes, and the support of the people in this doomed town wasn't enough to overcome this demon's full might as thunderbolts came down from the sky that nearly fried the four heroes of this town. Everyone wondered if no one could overthrow the ruler of the shadowy underworld she came from in the depths of the earth itself. They all knew that was one option left, and it would not come without a price. Still, they knew this was their only chance left of stopping her from continuing her conquest and with the 7 stars that began to shine brightly filled with the prayers and hopes of the people here.
"What is this lightttttt! No, I can't be defeated. I am invinsibleeeee!"
Despite her form being sealed in the very Palace of Shadow that she resided in this town would begin to sink into the sea as the four heroes knew their bodies would also be trapped in the process of this "victory" over the Shadow Queen. As she was put to slumber in her coffin sealed behind the Thousand Year Door both the four heroes and the people of this town would also be lost to the sands of time as they were also trapped in the darkness for several generations that never knew how damned the world had been in that period of time.
Many people believe that the land eventually known as Roguesport would never have any major disaster befall their land unaware the seal keeping the evil below their town would eventually weaken and open the doorway to a long-forgotten darkness, the vile demon that was considered a myth by many was beginning to return.
"The power to control a demon? Surely you jest, Beldam!"
A computer-like voice spoke out to the shadowy figure in a blue-colored hat with two similar siblings revealing the leader of the X-Nauts faction: Sir Grodus. Despite his base on the moon, several soldiers in his army including "Lord" Crump, and the many resources of technology at his disposal there wasn't a feasible way to fully take over the world until this "witch" brought up some great "treasure" sealed behind the Thousand Year Door.
"I am being truthful Sir Grodus, and once you gather the seven Crystal Stars that door will be opened to give you the power needed to truly rule the world! We will help you gain that power..."
The leader of the Moon Base for his clan accepted the siren's call unaware of the fact he had fallen under her spell. The sisters couldn't accomplish their ultimate goal without the manpower the X-Nauts provided to take care of those who would seek to stop the resurrection of their leader. Then, with all the other pieces in place, it was time to bring the chosen "sacrifice" from a land far away from Roguesport known as the Mushroom Kingdom. A young, blonde princess known as Peach came to this town under the influence of Beldam's machinations.
Mario along with many other important people from this land would follow her to this land unaware of her eventual kidnapping by Grodus and his men. The hunt for the other Crystal Stars, Mario meeting many of the people living in this new part of the earth, Bowser's bizarre adventure leading him down the path to his personal nemesis, and Peach discovering the horrible truth behind her kidnapping thanks to the base's artificial intelligence growing fond of this human. All of these events resulting in the final clash between good and bad as Grodus as defeated by Mario followed by Bowser getting his own defeat by his mortal enemy as well. All of this was fleeting, however...
"Hah! You're too late to stop me, Mario!" Grodus barked while his body had been severely broken up however he didn't intend on giving up when his goal was within reach.
As the plumber along with his companions made it to the depths of the Palace of Shadow, the sight awaiting them was the crypt where the "treasure" was waiting. The air felt cold, the candles currently lit didn't provide any real warmth into the room, and Peach tried to reach over to her hero while she was prone on the ground and laying right in front of the coffin this demon was residing in.
"I'm sorry Mario all of this...is because of me. I should have never taken that map..." Despite being tricked, she felt like all of this was on her head knowing the fate awaiting her right behind her body.
"Now, the Shadow Queen shall awaken from her sleep! With her power, I shall finally rule over this pathetic world, and now with this chosen vessel her power will be restored to her full terrifying peak!" Each of the warm candles went out as they were lit up with the black flames of the Shadow Queen's demonic magic while the top of her corrin was slowly being removed unleashing the ancient darkness lurking inside. A horrible sensation came over everyone in the room beside Grodus, the figure that looked like a thin-shaped alien rose up from her "grave" reborn and hungry for revenge.
As the world slowly was cast in a shadow that blotted out the very sun in the sky making each place and land on this planet seem like it was nighttime. This was merely a small fraction of the power Grodus craved the wield for his new world order.
"Who...has summoned me here?" An old, elderly voice whispered out causing Mario's hair to stand still on his body as he looked up at a being who could rival Bowser in sheer evil.
"That would be me, my Shadow Queen!"
"You? Fine...Where is my vessel?"
"She lies right in front of you, my queen!"
Peach's eyes widen in fear once she knew what was going to happen to her in mere seconds. She tried to reach out to him, but the distance away was simply too far to reach her savior in time.
"Yessss...a wonderful vessel...Now..."
The long, shadow fingers began to lace themselves around Peach's form while everyone couldn't move an inch to stop this act, and before they knew it the whole room had been enveloped in a white flash as Peach's body grew black in color. Then, the world itself began to tremble like a series of earthquakes happened all at once leaving everyone confused about the calamity that has befallen the world. A long silent took over the world as the real Professor Frankly managed to escape from the Shadow Sirens ending up in the Palace of Shadow.
"No! Don't tell me THAT evil power has been awakened?! This is horrible!"
Everyone in the world knew something terrible has occurred, but for Mario and his friends, the worst is yet to come. Another flash revealed the fate of Princess Peach. Gone was her pink dress, innocent blue eyes, and wonderful bright skin. Instead, the woman standing in front of them was deathly pale, black eyes resembling a void, a dark purple and black dress with her crown on top having spikes come out with ruby gems replacing the sapphire ones she usually wore. Standing in place of Peach was the Shadow Queen, her form now more human but still very much demonic in her nature.
"Muh huh huh huh huh...Behold my rebirth," Peach's sweet tone had been changed into a more seductive, but authoritative voice befitting the being now controlling her body. "My soul hasn't fully adjusted to this vessel however I will learn to control this new form in time." The demon spoke in confidence while Goombella and Mario realized what happened to Peach.
"Indeed, my glorious witch queen. Eliminate these ignorant fools at once!" The self-proclaimed genius demanded the vile shadow demon unaware of the limits that he possessed when dealing with such a foreign "super-weapon" fully operational.
"Who are you to order me with such a command? What kind of creature are you?" She looked over at the mechanical man with confusion mixed with a hint of annoyance.
"Huh? What are you saying?! I thought you were meant to obey the one who woke you from slumber! Enough of this farce! Obey me at once! Now! Otherwise, I will be forced to send you back into the depths from where you came!" His attempts at world domination were crushed by a single strike of lighting from the Shadow Queen's power. Her eyes glowed red with murderous intent as she quickly made it clear WHO is now in charge of things.
"I suggest you reconsider your place in this world, slave. No one orders me." With another demonstration of her power, she sent away the broken head that was the only thing remaining of Sir Grodus into another place in the world.
"My abilities haven't been fully restored...But...they will come back with time..."
"Wh-What is...going on, Mario? I...I don't..."
"My queen!" With the leader of the X-Nauts gone Beldam made her entrance with her only other loyal sibling and Doopliss with their plan to revive their leader a complete success. The ruler of the shadows was pleased to see her faithful witch sirens here once more, even if Vivian looked at this moment with concern over what is going to happen next.
"Ahh, Beldam...What ages have gone by us? So...it would seem that you are the one truly responsible for calling me back, correct?"
"Yes, my queen! I looked for a pure maiden that you could inhabit...And when I did, I spread the rumor of a great treasure...Then I led the fools who collected the Crystal Stars here to unlock the seal." She spoke proudly wanting the approval of the ruler she would obey to the very end of her existence just knowing her queen would rule forever over this world.
"Yessss...You have completed your duties rather nicely." The tension suddenly reached a train-crashing moment when the demonic ruler turned her attention to Mario and his companions still not sure what is happening to the fair princess.
"And who exactly...are these individuals standing before me?" Mario put up a brave face, but Goombella and Vivian slowly moved backward in fear just her the seductive voice speaking to them, a chill took over their bodies making them imagine the temperature in the room continue to get colder by the second.
"Yesss...They don't seem to be that strong in their power...But perhaps there is some use they could offer me. If you would become my loyal servants, I will not harm any of you." The devil seemingly reaching out its fiendish hand to offer up a contract binding them together in this arrangement. Goombella stumbled over her speech as she didn't know how to respond to this, but Mario seemed determined to stop her - although a hint of doubt creeps into his mind when considering what might happen to Peach when she was trapped in her own body.
"I see...you intend to defy me. How...interesting...Then, you ignorant fools...You will learn to respect your queen once you see the error of your ways!" Taking the stage one last time Mario and his companions gather during his journey confronted his love, which was replaced by the ancient witch seeking to regain her lost reign over the world. He didn't want to send his hammer over the head of this beautiful woman, but she quickly fought back with some of her dark magical thunderbolts showing her resolve.
"You are rather foolish to fight me. Yesss...And that defiance of yours...will have to be punished..."
It was an uphill battle for Mario swaying between his good memories with Peach; to now trying to attack this very same girl whom he loves to stop the evil entity summoning ghostly-looking hands from out the ground to attack him and his comrades. In the process, the faint image of this demon's true form was seen scaring the fatigued heroes even more. The plumber smelled the whiff of this demon's poisonous breath entering his body to inhibit his strength more while Vivian used her fire magic to aid the person who gave her the strength to defy her siblings.
"Is...this right? To hurt Princess Peach..." Mario's voice was no longer filled with confidence as he looked over at how much pain he was putting this girl through despite this not really being that gentle ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Snap out of it, Mario! We can't let this witch ruin the world again..." Vivian and Goombella tried to support their leader while the Shadow Queen felt more amused by this battle if anything.
"I see...so, you don't seem as weak. Maybe you aren't as useless than I first imagined. This body is strange to me...Yesss, too foreign. I shall reveal to you my true form and let you witness my real power!" The aura quickly changed on the battlefield as the shadow figure that was first seen before this possession re-emerged while Peach's body was covered up by the real form of the Shadow Queen. Sweat poured down Mario's skin as he felt that same fear that first happened when this horrible situation began.
"In this form, your attacks will be akin to that of a mere toddler compared to me...You are fortunate...You will be slain knowing that you fall at the hands of this world's one true and terrible queen! Muh huh huh huh huh!"
That one moment of victory was fleeting for the only hope the world had, the Queen's real body was impossible to harm no matter what Mario or his friends did to fight back. Each attack, which had been strong enough to defeat everyone else did not leave a real blow on the Shadow Queen making her chuckle with enjoyment. She was playing with her prey by this point, observing the realization of how they were destined to fail, and soon to regret not accepting her offer to avoid this kind of horror.
The queen's two hands keep sucking up the strength of the united front against her regaining more strength while leaving the heroes weaker and more vulnerable.
"Hmm...What a troublesome pest you've become. Muh huh huh huh huh..."
She decided to end this farce by taking advantage of the observance of this battle in the crowd so that by sucking up their very lives she could fully restore all of the life Mario took away truly making their fight pointless and a waste of their efforts.
Leaving them alone in her world stuck in despair at this nightmarish spectacle they were forced to watch.
"Yesss...I have recovered from any small amount of damage you might have inflicted on me. And now...I will have to punish you for this resistance..."
His companions awaiting to hear their next order, but Mario sunk his head deep into his hands coming to grips with how hopeless things have become for them. Any further resisting might lead to their demise or even hurting the one girl he couldn't see being destroyed by his own hands.
"I will ask you once more...Will you serve me? If so, I will forget about this..." All of his friends were quick to deny the witch again, but Mario remained silent. He looked up at the possessed Peach wondering if the other option was truly so terrible?
"If...I were to say yes...Will Peach be okay?" He had to be sure the deal wouldn't ruin her soul forever since he thinks she could be okay with this eventually like he might be knowing he would be cast into darkness as well.
"Of course, the vessel I now control has a desire to keep you safe and I wish to keep full control of this body. Losing you...would be a needless action for the both of us..." For a split-second, Mario could hear the gentle tone of his beloved Peach mixed in with the Shadow Queen's tempting voice. He knew it would be a betrayal of everything he's been fighting for, but this would mean ending this conflict and sticking with this beautiful person to the end.
"Mario?" Goombella looked up at her close friend with a confused look before he spoke the words that would damn everyone including himself.
"I-I I...accept..." His tone was defeated, accepting, and hollow while the Shadow Queen made Peach's lips twist into a triumphant smirk. Peach felt terrible about this as she was like a ghost in the endless void belonging to the demon possessing her body until she felt ghostly hands land on her shoulders to provide confidence in accepting these new servants.
"Deep down inside...YOU want him by your side. While I haven't been able to be in a human form in quite a long time I know that you don't wish to remain a damsel anymore needing to be saved from that foolish oaf. You wish to have a King to make you a Queen, correct?" Like Mario the desire Peach wanted to come true was being used against her, and if she continued this battle then it was likely she would lose Mario in the process. That couldn't happen no matter what happens to her soul.
"...Yesss..."
As the true form of the Shadow Queen faded away Mario slowly kneels before the possessed Peach to take her hand symbolizing his new servitude, a hand being taken before kissing the glove of this ruler.
"You are very obedient. Good, my pet...Now you are truly mine. You will all serve me for eternity..." Sealing the vow Beldam, the other faithful servants, and Mario's worried companions looked at the soulless Mario bowing to his queen as she let out a haunting laugh that echoed throughout the chambers of her palace.
The Crystal Stars slowly lost their glow as Mario broke them to ensure no one would harm his precious queen along with dooming the rest of the world, and as for Bowser he retreated back to his kingdom to re-gather his forces to reclaim his princess while Luigi sought out Princess Daisy's help in finding his brother and Peach considering the relationship they have with this woman.
"W-Why is her castle so different?"
"First the sky turning black, and NOW this?!" Luigi gasped at the changes done to Peach's castle resembling more of a dark palace rather than the comforting environment that once welcomed all visitors including Bowser. Instead of the normal guards who gave bright smiles, the shadowy figures looked at the expected guests coming here under the letter provided by Mario and Peach to come and see what has been done with the place.
"I can't believe my brother would hang out in this kind of place..." Luigi felt more shivers from looking at the black and purple decor, even a random Boo popping up would pale in comparison to the dread he was feeling right now.
Their welcome mat was shown when the doors opened up seemingly on their own to reveal a long purple carpet with the symbol of red jewels on the rug. The room's windows were currently broken, the new "owner" was still in the process of remodeling the throne room to her liking as she was sitting on her chair with her first new servant to join her court along with the Shadow Sirens.
"Ahh, the Princess of Sarasaland and Mario's brother have gotten those letters after all. I'd thought you would be happy to see us?" A rich, confident purr lead the eyes of the guests towards the remodeled throne revealing a pale-skinned Peach with a soulless Mario standing on guard to defend his beloved ruler.
"Kneel, before your queen."
"Peach!?" Both Luigi and Daisy took in the full appearance of their friend as she took a sip of her wine before slowly making her way down to confront these people about her intentions with those letters delivered to them. The promise of taking part in the "celebration" of the beginning of a new age for the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Silly me! I've forgotten my manners and failed to provide a proper introduction," Peach's sugary tone was now filled with demented amusement as she moved her hand over her chest over-exaggerating this lack of respect towards royalty...and her servant's plumber brother. "You are standing before the Shadow Queen. This "Peach" as you call her is actually my vessel and host." Waving her hand through her blonde hair to demonstrate this point Luigi was considered fighting this woman until Daisy made him remember the demon wearing this girl's face.
"Oh, and don't worry about the one you call Peach. She and I have come to an understanding over the state of this kingdom, so once we deal with that small fly you call Bowser there won't be any kind of kidnapping to worry about ever again!" She knew that deep down Peach would do anything to save her people, which is why she was willing to "sell" her innocence to this demon in order to gain safety for her people for good; unlike Mario who gave up his free will to have the love of one person in Princess Peach.
"You've covered the world in darkness, but you claim to seek...peace?!" Peach's lips curved upwards as her red eyes shined with conquest over not just more land rather the heart and mind of another princess in the brunette in this yellow dress.
"Not just with the Mushroom Kingdom I will ensure a tranquil world with the other kingdoms including your own, my sweet Daisy. Either I can be a cruel, merciless tyrant with no compassion or an understanding ruler of all things on this planet. The choice is up to yours however regardless of your decision foolish or otherwise, I am the Sovereign of Shadow now and forever more!"
She knew that in moments such as this one these two would be thrown into the newly constructed dungeon for her dragons to feast upon for supper. Should they respect their new ruler, a nice dinner at her table with Mario would be provided for tonight's special occasion in this oppressive fortress, the decision was in their hands.
While she was a demon, even she didn't want to stain these new carpets with blood if such a thing could be avoided. This princess - no queen was civil...to some extent. Peach began to realize the power she now wields is merely a small bonus for taking control of her life. She wouldn't need to be rescued from firey castles anymore, have to deal with self-aware computers to escape from the moon, or worry about what kind of cake Mario would like to eat.
"The world is my oyster, and those who stand in my way shall be drowned like that worthless city and those fools who doomed themselves to ruin!" Peach's new self is simply an extension of the Shadow Queen's influence. Mario's love for her in private quarters was always a formality, she just needed to remove her inhibitions to truly enjoy this evil power of an endless darkness.
"Then again how can such a feeling be evil, to begin with!" She purred with delight before observing the horrified expressions of Daisy and Luigi before moving on with her duties for today. "Servants," She clapped out to her new minions giving them a new command. "Bring my guests food and wine so that we may begin our negotiations." Observing Mario's companions during his journey come out in dark outfits showing their submissive state, the new queen of the Mushroom Kingdom looked out at the dark sky that would never show any sign of light again, her lips smiled with stratification over this new world of hers Peach and the Shadow Queen's desires mixed together as one. Long may she reign...
I have a small headcanon that the Shadow Queen originally looked human in a body that likely had massive power in magic. That would explain her need to get Peach as her vessel once revived considering she was both pure in her soul along with likely keeping her body from being sealed up as shown when Mario used the Crystal Stars to affect her true form. That or my other theory being she was affected by the light, so using a body like the princess would shield her from that possible weakness. Also I added in that line from Hela in Thor Ragnarok, since well I just watched it. :P
I'm going to work on the rest of HXH now I promise. D: