Chapter 36: Darkland's Secrets
"So... How do I tell you this?" the Koopa began. "Well, it all started... when those mortars got sent towards you. You remember those, right?" Toad nodded in response. "Okay, good. So he sent those, and when he saw construction crews rebuilding the houses, he got real mad. So his idea of preparing for warfare was, basically, 'get all the able-bodied people in the workforce, whether they wanted to or not'."
"Ah. That doesn't seem too bad..." Toad started to reply, but the Koopa completed his sentence.
"Until you realize that some lonely Koopas and Goombas don't want to go to war. You know, not everyone in Darkland has an evil personality. In fact, let me tell you something... Before Bowser's Castle was built for the first time, Darkland wasn't really that... dark. It was just like your Mushroom Kingdom, except that the Goombas and Koopas were the inhabitants of course. Plains, lakes, mountains, valleys... hell, it was a paradise, some said."
"Where did you hear this?" a soldier asked. The Koopa stood up and leant against the stone wall.
"It's just history. It's been passed down through generations. Bowser doesn't know it. I mean, if he knew it, he'd kill everyone that knew it just to get rid of it. He only wants to be remembered. I mean, once he found this place, history says that he focused the sun's rays on a rock to make lava, and let that lava melt stuff to make more lava. Then he organized that lava into ditches, and since the burnt stuff released gases into the air, it was unusually hot from then on, causing the vegetation to starve. But again, Bowser doesn't want anyone to know. He'd kill the people that did."
"But... Why?" Toad questioned. "I've never heard Bowser acting like this before."
"It's because people didn't want to go to war. He wasn't going to have people sitting around and "being lazy". So he locked them up."
"Well that doesn't make any sense." Toad countered. "That just gives them even more chances to be lazy."
"Exactly! Which is why even more people protested to be in the army. This went on for awhile, until Bowser decided he would take everyone in the army force that was remaining and train them to hell."
"And what happened to the people in the dungeon?"
"Dead. Long gone by now. No one checking on them, nothing. He sent a Koopa to go clean up the bodies, burn them in the lava."
"Wow." Toad responded, shaking his head. "So I saw the Koopalings in the dungeon too. They're still alive, but in some sorta stasis or something. Any idea what happened to them?"
"Well, I wasn't done with telling you about the training..." The Koopa sighed. "Basically, whoever didn't follow orders was beaten. Breaking any rule - including not being at roll call by six in the morning - is punishable by death. He wanted to weed out the infirm and make as strong an army as possible."
"That's not the way to do it though..." Toad shook his head again. "Is that why the defense Koopa out by the tower is dead?"
"Yeah. Bowser found the searchlight broken and thought he did it. He just mauled him."
"Wow... What made him like this?"
"Don't know... Probably his hatred for you."
"This is true. He kinda hates the Mushroom Kingdom in general." Toad chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood. "So what happened to the Koopalings?"
"Well, after awhile, the Koopalings stopped going to the army meetings. They were tired of watching the carnage I guess. After about a week, Bowser tracked the children down, one by one. He threw them in the dungeon and ordered his scientist to inject them with.. something. Don't know what it is."
"I knew it was some sorta serum... Since you don't know what it is, I'm sure you don't know a way to reverse it, huh?"
"Yeah, I don't. But I do know that someone needs to stop this... and you're just the person for the job." The Koopa looked at Toad. "I'm Charles, by the way. I was in the army until I kinda messed up. I got lucky, being locked up in here."
"Nice talking with you, Charles." Toad's battalion stood up. "Just stay here. I don't want you in harm's way. We'll find out where Bowser really is."
"Well, if I recall, he said something about an airship invasion. So you might want to look outside for the airship bays." Charles offered.
"Thanks, Charles. Seriously." Toad smiled and disappeared into the stairwell, his soldiers following.
"We'll make this happen! That's a promise!" he called from within the tower, and a rousing shout of approval from the Toads followed.
To be continued...