This story was originally published on 28 January 2018 as part of a completion of stories called "Mixtape".

The True Story of The Journey Under

'I love that story.' Said Hijinx, while she chewed on her s'more.

'I know right?' Agreed Roller Brawl, as she popped a graham cracker into her mouth. 'It was my favorite story when I was a kid too. Glad you love it, kid.' She grinned at her. Compared to other minis, she was always the serious one. She was glad that she managed to successful drag her outside for some fun around the campfire. It was oddly satisfying for her, even if said campfire was a projection on a screen. (As undead, they obviously couldn't have a real campfire.)

Roller Brawl dipped her hand into her bag, and pulled out yet another cracker. But just as she was about to eat it, she heard a low chuckle from beside her. She turned to face Night Shift, eyebrow raised.

'What?' Went Roller Brawl. 'What's so funny?'

'I can't believe your parents told you that version.' He smiled at the two girls.

'What? What's so wrong about that?'

Night Shift smiled. 'Well, it's not the original version.'

It was Hijinx's turn to raise an eyebrow. 'Original? You mean that the version we just heard was edited? Or abridged?'

'It was edited. Probably for a good reason too, the original was not what you would call "child-friendly".'

'Really?' Roller Brawl dipped her hand in for another cracker. 'Tell us more about it.'

'Are you all sure? It isn't like the version you are used to hearing about at all. You may be shocked.'

'Try me.' Replied Roller Brawl, posture straightened.

'How bad could it be anyways, Night Shift? I mean, if it influenced such a classic optimistic story, it can't be all bad, can it?' Asked Hijinx. She reached for another s'more, and made herself comfortable.

Night Shift smiled, showing his huge vampire fangs. 'Alright then.' He cleared his throat, and started his story.

OoOoOoOoOo

A long time ago, in an island lost in time, there was a young maiden. Born to a poor family of farmers, she was a plain young girl, with flat features and a simple mind. Despite all that, she was widely known throughout her village. It was not due to any special abilities or quirks, but because she was the kindest, most helpful woman in the lonesome village.

There wasn't a family there that didn't experience her assistance. Not a child that didn't adore her. Not an animal that didn't trust her. Yes, she was loved throughout the village. She had earned many friends there, and even though she was poor, she lived a happy, if uneventful, life.

But one day, that life was changed forever.

It all started one day, when a young socialite was on his way to the Underworld. He had just spent a few days on the surface for a holiday, and he was disappointed with his stay, to say the least. Nothing of interest had happened, and since he toured some of the poorer areas of Skylands, he was not impressed with what he had seen. He didn't even see something unique enough to take home as a keepsake. That is, until he crossed that village.

He was riding along an empty dirt path, when he peered over to the village, and he saw her standing by the river, drawing water. Now, up to that point, his journey had been a disappointing one, and he longed to head back to his mansion. However, once he laid eyes on the dear young maiden, he fell in love.

He ordered his carriage to stop, and stepped down to talk to her. However, when he went up to her, she ran back to the village, scared out of her wits.

He chased after her, trying to get her attention, but he was too late, and the young maiden gone back to her village. There, she told everybody about the skeleton that came up to her, and from there, the rumor spread. Everyone was afraid that the undead were coming to haunt them, and so, they devised a plan to prevent that from ever happening.

The plan was simple, they would simply not let any members of the undead enter their village. Their tiny village was located in the middle of nowhere, and they didn't get many visitors to begin with, so this decision was easy to implement. All the village guards had to do was make sure that no one with rotting flesh or visible bones got past them. And for the first few days, things were relatively uneventful. They had managed to catch a few of the socialite's men, and all was well.

However, the socialite soon learned about the security measures, and he devised a plan. He knew the village guards would be far more naive than the guards to a larger, more crowded village, and he knew that he could take full advantage of that.

Being wealthy and crafty, he thought of a plan to get around the village guards. It was simple, he would disguise one of his men as a surface dweller, and get his maiden like that. The village guards would probably be too naive to know anything about tricks like this, and he could easily sneak in and get his bride.

That night, the village was silent. All were asleep, except for the guards, but they weren't alert. The socialite had strategically chosen the most optimal time to sneak into the village. He chose a night with a new moon, so that there was as little light as possible for the guards to see in. With the guards all tired from their day, his man sneaked in easily.

The mission was quick. His man rode a horse into town, a bag tied to its side. Quietly, in the dead of night, found the house the maiden lived in, and kidnapped her. Once she was tucked into the huge bag, he rode off from his horse, and ran back into the Underworld.

No one in that tiny village knew what happened to her that night.

No one, except for one young boy.

That young boy was an eager and earnest child, with a big heart and a brave attitude. He seemed to not be very bright at all, and whenever someone tells him to hide away and listen to his fears, he would ignore them. That night, when he saw the man kidnap a dear friend of his, he listened to his heart and followed after the man on the horse in the dead of the night. Slowly, he sneaked after him, until the man finally reached his destination. Then, the young boy had to stop and stare; it was all he could to not lose his wits.

While he watched the man bring down his friend into the Underworld, he felt his heart pound against his chest. The entrance to the Underworld was the scariest thing he had ever seen. With strange, small creatures hanging from the entrance, the musty smell of decomposition in the air, and the moon-less night giving off an alien atmosphere, the boy found himself rooted to the ground in fear.

Despite all that, he soldiered on. The young maiden needed his help now, and he was determined to help her back, after all those times when she helped him and his family. Thus, he carried on.

There was only one small issue. Before the man had set off, he had cast a protection spell on the young maiden. The socialite liked the novelty of having a bride from the surface, and he wanted her to be kept as fresh as possible. Hence, she was given the spell to preserve her.

However, when the young boy entered in after them, he had nothing to protect him. When he entered the Underworld, he was susceptible to all the dark magic down there. At the time, however, he had no idea what he got himself into, and he journeyed onward like a lamb to slaughter.

When he entered the cave, he thought that the Underworld at night would be like the surface during that time. Dark, quiet, and serene. Instead, what he saw down there was a loud, bustling town square. All around, he saw the scariest creatures he had ever seen. He had spent his entire life up on the surface, and up until that point, he had never seen any werewolves, vampires, ghouls, or even skeletons. The Underworld swarmed with all those creatures, and he found all of them terrifying. With their sharp fangs, large claws, see-through bodies, and all things he found unnatural, most boys his age would have turned in the towel right then and there. Regardless of that, he carried on after the man, weaving through the tight crowds to get to him.

Although it was a brave move, it was also rather foolish.

The boy eventually arrived at a large mansion. With its gigantic stone walls, intimidating, cage-like pillars, and thick cobwebs coming out of every crack, it looked like a giant prison to the young boy. As if on cue, a cold wind blew, scattering crunchy dried leaves across the barren yard that led up to the chilling mansion. Overall, it gave off a threatening effect, every element screaming "stay away from here".

Never had the boy felt more afraid, but despite all his fears, he kept pushing on. He followed on after the man and the young maiden, careful not to make a sound. Fortunately for him, he was not spotted, and when the doors opened, he successfully sneaked into the mansion alongside the man.

The insides of the mansion were smooth and polished. Nearly everything was made out of marble or purple velvet. And the things that were not seemed to made out of some sort of metal or gemstone. The young boy could not recognize what it was, but it was clear and he thought it looked lovely.

Nowadays, we would recognize that gem as a diamond, but as he was from a rural village from years back, he had no idea what it was. He also had no idea that nearly everything the socialite owner was stolen from the surface. Whenever he couldn't get something he wanted, he would merely take it away from them. It was something he could do without repercussions, as he was one of the most powerful beings in the Underworld. But if the boy knew how he got all that, he would have been disgusted.

He roamed the hallways for a little while, until he spotted a little wooden door. It did not fit in with the rest of the mansion's pristine aesthetic, with its rusty doorknob and splintered wood. But something about it gave the child a feeling that he needed to look at what was inside.

He twisted the rusty metal doorknob, and pushed the door ajar. Immediately, the musty smell of dust and rot filled the room, causing his eyes to water and his nose to itch. Fanning the air with one hand, he wiped his eyes with the other, and rubbed them clear again. All while he walked into the room, unprepared for what was to come.

He took a few steps into the room, vision unclear due to the dim lights and dust in his eyes. He stumbled around for awhile, before finally, he opened his eyes again.

But just as he did, two bony hands gripped at his arms, and plucked him up. Before he could struggle away, he was dragged off, and brought in front of a throne. In it, sat a familiar face to the boy.

'Well, well, we'll, who do we have here?' The socialite grinned, as he looked down at the young boy. The boy tried to put on a brave front facing him, but that soon stopped when he peered over his shoulder, and spotted his friend, tied to his throne. Her eyes were now glossy and unfocused, almost as if she had been drugged. However, despite those glossy eyes, she looked normal otherwise. Some would argue she looked better than she ever did. Her rags were swapped for a lacy white dress, made from the finest satin he could get. Her hair was done up in curly ringlets, tied up neatly into an up-do. Even her face looked different, with thick makeup plastered on her face. Her features were no longer plain and simple, but pretty and glamorous.

She now looked like a beautiful doll.

'Gorgeous, isn't she?' He smiled. 'And I think you would make an excellent ring-bearer tomorrow. You didn't have to go out of your way to blend in, but thank you for the trouble.'

The boy, shocked at the statement, looked down at his hands. He had heard stories of turning into one of them when one goes down into the Underworld, but he had thought it was something made up. Before he could take a peek at his hands, he screwed his eyes shut, terrified about what he would see.

'It's really no big deal. Everyone comes down here sooner or later. You just came down sooner, that's all. You should be thankful you didn't have to experience great pain to get here.'

The boy felt his heart pound with every line he said. Surely he couldn't be dead? Not now, it can't be…

'It's alright son. After the wedding, I'm sure I can find a use for you. It's not like you can really go anywhere else in this state anyways.'

The suspense was too much for him too bear, and taking a leap of faith, the boy opened his eyes, and screamed.

Below him were two cold, blue hands.

'My servant did tell me that a young boy was following him. One that was too selfless to realize what he was getting himself into. But never mind now, we all learn from our mistakes. Maybe now you would learn how to look out for number one.'

And so, the young boy spent the rest of his life serving the socialite. It was a difficult position, but he learnt the value of safety and security over recklessness. He grew to love his position working odd jobs for the socialite. He learnt to accept that he was dead. And he learned to accept it.

The end.

OoOoOoOoOo

'...'

'...'

'That's how the story ends? That's it?'

'I told you that you would not like it.' Replied Night Shift.

'Yeah, that was kinda lame.' Said Roller Brawl through a mouthful of crackers. She soon realized that it was the last cracker, and proceeded to dump the broken pieces and crumbs down her mouth.

'I agree, the moral is utterly broken and the ending was unbelievably forced.' Went Hijinx.

Night Shift shrugged at the complaints. 'I did tell you girls that you would not like it. Storytelling was different back then. We all did it to tell lessons, and things didn't have to make as much sense.'

'Even so, I much prefer the way the story turned out. It has a more satisfying ending, and an interesting subplot. It was overall better.' Hijinx waved her half-eaten s'more around as she talked, with the enthusiasm of a literary scholar talking about her line of work.

'Ah, you girls are spoiled by happy endings. Back when I was a child, I liked this story. I still prefer it, it's a lot better than false corniness.'

Hijinx crossed her arms, unsure how to respond to that. 'But it's not very satisfying.' She finally said, after a moment of thought.

'We had different standards then. Besides, it's good for a child like you to learn some history. Now you know the origins of your favorite story.' Said Night Shift.

Hijinx sighed. 'But what's that knowledge good for?'

'You decide for yourself. It's almost time for the sun to rise anyways, so I think it's time we wrap this up. I'll be off.' He said, and without another word, he stood up and walked off.

Hijinx shoved the last part of her s'more into her mouth, brows furrowed in thought. 'Roller Brawl,' She began. 'What would that knowledge be good for?'

'Hmm - oh, um…' Said Roller Brawl, as she was snapped out of her daydream. She had found discussing literature dull, and had gone back to an old habit she picked up in her school days when they started their little debate. Honestly, she couldn't have cared less about how stories should be, she really only cared about hearing them, and deciding if she liked them or not. 'Well…'

'You weren't paying attention, weren't you?'

'Sorry kid, no. Doesn't really matter much to me, I just like a good story.'

Hijinx sighed. 'I still don't like the story.'

'You don't have to. Don't take these type of things too seriously. Anyways, I better be off before the sun rises. See ya, kid.' She crumpled the now-empty bag of crackers, and turned off the virtual campfire.

Hijinx sighed, and sat there in the dark. She sat there, alone with her thoughts, stewing in the words of the two vampires. It was there she decided that, no matter what Roller Brawl said, she was going to think about the story. She was going to analyse it, and think about it all day and all night if she must. Even though Roller Brawl brought her out to stop being so serious all the time, she enjoys thinking, and they just gave her a decent subject to stew about for at least a day.

OoOoOoOoOo

A bit different from my usual fare, but hey, that's the point of this compilation. This was based on the way companies like Disney make movies that have a very different meaning and tone from the original. (Seriously, if you don't know, look up the original ending for Sleeping Beauty).

Also about the way people consume media, and all our reactions to it. Don't think that Roller Brawl's way of consumption is any less. After all, at times, all of us can be like that. It's not even a bad thing, really.

-Tabbyluna