21st Century Yoshi presents
THE LIBERATED PAST
Part Five: Good, Evil, And The Horror That Comes Between
By Sk8er Grl
DISCLAIMER: I own only what I think I own, and everyone else owns what they think is theirs. Those who don't know what they own, own nothing.
This is my deep, meaningful and profound disclaimer. Bet that's a first, eh?
Well, I've started chapter five before I even posted chapter four. I never do that! My muse is working overtime… although come to think of it, who is my muse?
Anyway. This is a rather dark chapter full of tortured souls. We have also an escaped dragon, a rain of fire, a kidnap and a fight between brothers.
Started: 26/10/02
*
The dragon galloped down the dark corridor, screaming its anger and fright for all the castle to hear.
Its wings snapped open and it broke into flight suddenly yet smoothly, and flapped up the stairs. The dragon landed on the ground floor of Bowser's castle. Many pairs of goomba, koopa and bob-omb eyes looked up at the sound. The sight that greeted them sent Bowser's servants into a panic and all turned tail and ran, some with a stab of fire on their heels.
The dragon bellowed and sent a fiery battering ram through the portcullis as it galloped towards freedom. It shouldered its way through the smoking remains and ran on, spreading its wings. Then it dove off the edge of the castle grounds.
Bowser's castle was situated on a flying island. The enchantment to make it fly had been a present from Kamek, the magi-koopa. He hadn't been seen for many years now though.
The dragon flew around the giant chain that tethered the island a few times to gather speed. Then it sped off in the direction of Toad Town.
As the town passed beneath it the dragon roared at it. It hated this town. It hated Bowser's castle. At the moment, it hated everything and everyone.
It is widely believed that being locked away and never seeing the light of day is the worst kind of imprisonment there is. This belief is wrong, and the dragon knew from experience. Being locked away and being allowed to see the light of day is far worse. For you will see it and enjoy it, but it never lasts for nearly long enough, because you will only be locked away again to dwell on it, and go insane wondering if they will let you see it again or not.
Sometimes you are more of a prisoner when you are free…
~
Bowser dropped the torch at Herman's feet. The clattering sound it made seemed to fill the whole dungeon and bounce off the walls.
Herman looked down at it and tried to swallow, but he was so terrified he couldn't. He risked looking up at Bowser's face. It was impassive, but he had a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"I-I-I don't… it's not… I never…" Herman faltered.
Slowly Bowser leaned down and put his face close to Herman. The shadows slid across it until it seemed only his yellow eyes were left. They gleamed dully, burning into Herman and leaving imprints on the inside of his eyelids.
"I trusted you."
He said it in a murderous whisper.
"And you know I am the only one who has, the only one who does, and the only one who ever will."
Bowser's had shot out and grabbed Herman by the throat. He stood up and lifted Herman with him and stared into his face.
"WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!"
Herman screamed and Bowser dropped him roughly. "Do I sense cracks in your resolve? What has come over you, my little evil one?" he snarled.
Herman lay on the ground and whimpered silently. He knew the psychology that Bowser was using on him. Herman was evil and there was no way he could ever be anything else, which was the reason Bowser trusted him but no-one, nobody else in the entire kingdom would. He was an outcast from his own race. He could never go back, he would stay with Bowser for the rest of his miserable life.
This was how Bowser controlled him. This was the power he had tried to exert over the dragon, but it hadn't worked. Just like him, the dragon had the smallest amount of goodness left in its soul. One ragged scrap of light that screamed at Herman night and day, screaming to be let out of the evil surrounding it. One tiny, crushed little voice which was all that was left of his spirit; which was not enough to prevent him doing evil, but enough to torment him with the knowledge that he was evil and did evil things, but just not liking it didn't make everything alright.
"Look at you," Bowser spat. "If your people could only see what a pathetic creature you are…"
Herman sobbed at Bowsers feet and screamed, begging him to take away this tiny shred of conscience that gnawed at him constantly, yelling at the world to let the darkness overcome him and end the suffering now. Just like being imprisoned and allowed to see the light of day, being good enough to suffer from the darkness inside you was worse than being pure evil.
Bowser grinned malevolently. "Alright." He picked Herman up by the neck again. "It's time for your rehabilitation." He flung the cowering little creature into the dragon's old cell and slammed the door.
~
The dragon circled the town and let fly a searing fireball that demolished a house. Amid screams of terror and pain it wheeled around and spurted another stream of flame that destroyed a shop.
The dragon was angry and confused, and so was taking out its frustration on Toad Town. Toads were running in panic away from the shadow that fell across the town square and rained fire down onto the many little stalls.
"What's going on out there?" cried Peach and ran to a large window. The Mario Brothers followed her and they all stared out in horror as they watched the huge red reptile destroy the town.
"We've got to do something!" cried Peach.
"Let's go," said Mario, and Luigi nodded. They ran to the door.
"Wait, where are you going?" said Peach. "You're not going out there! Guards! Stop them, please?"
The two Toad guards that stood at the door barred Mario and Luigi's way. They turned to Peach. "We have to go out there," said Mario. "How else do we protect the town?"
"I don't know, but I know you can't go out there," wailed Peach. "You would be killed!"
"Well, what are we going to do?" asked Luigi.
The dragon flapped its way to a higher altitude. Its instincts were beginning to kick in.
There was a problem. Bowser was trying to imprison it against its will. There was this town. Someone in it must be able to do something about Bowser. Therefore, it was clear: kidnap their princess.
This was the dragon's logic. This was all dragons' logic. Almost nobody would help a dragon when it had a problem, out of fear usually. But threaten them with the thought of losing their princess and suddenly everyone wanted to make sure there was nothing happening to upset the dragon. Many dragons were killed though, by knights who thought the solution was to save the princess and get rid of the dragon. But over many years there developed a superstition that to kill a dragon was bad luck, because something bad always happened after. The people never took the time to think that the reason something bad happened was because they were not heeding the dragon's warning of trouble.
There was a princess here. The dragon could feel it in his bones. It turned to face Peach's castle. With a sudden feeling of purpose the dragon swept away towards it.
"The fires are being put out," commented Luigi, looking out of Peach's window.
"Have any new ones started?" asked Mario.
"No… the dragon's disappeared!"
"Oh!" moaned Peach. "It could be anywhere!"
"Well, while it's not around we could go out there and help clean up the mess it's made," said Luigi.
"I—aaaaaaah!" Peach squealed.
"What?" Mario turned to look at the thing she was staring at. So did Luigi.
She was pointing at the huge stained-glass portrait of herself high up in the wall. Against it, growing larger by the second was a shadow in the shape of a dragon.
CRASH!
Mario, Luigi and Peach all screamed as the dragon smashed through the window and perched on the ledge. It stuck out its neck and poked its head into the room. Glass fell in a colourful shower, which rained down on the Mario Brothers and Peach.
The dragon roared.
"GROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAHR!"
It extended a scaly foreleg and swept Mario and Luigi out of the way. They were bowled into the wall and lay stunned for a moment.
The dragon then reached its head down toward Peach. She screamed and began to run away, but the dragon leapt down from the window and landed with a thud that shook the floor and knocked Peach to the ground. She felt needle-sharp teeth close over the material of her dress, and with surprising delicacy was lifted high into the air. She cried out again as the dragon turned and leapt out of the window. It caught the wind with its wings and as it flew transferred her from its mouth to its front claws.
The Mario Brothers got to their feet and dashed past the shocked guards and out the door. They ran outside the castle and stopped, searching the skies.
"There it is!" Mario exclaimed. "Let's go!"
"No, wait!" said Luigi. He grabbed Mario's shoulder. "We can't just go running after it!"
"Well do you have a better idea?" snapped Mario.
"We don't know where it's going or what we'll find there. I say we go home, get properly prepared, and then go after it." Luigi began to walk off.
"Are you crazy? How can we get better prepared? Look, I've faced Bowser with nothing except my bare hands!"
Luigi kept walking and Mario resignedly ran to catch up.
"I know you've defeated Bowser before, but this isn't Bowser we're talking about," Luigi told him as they began to climb the hill where their house was built. "This isn't just about you, you know, I want to save Peach as well! And I'd feel a lot better if we went about it properly prepared!"
"Oh, I get it!" Mario stopped angrily. "You don't want me to be the hero again! You want to make it look like you did the work!"
Luigi stopped suddenly, and stiffened. He didn't turn around.
"What?" he said coldly.
"Admit it, you're jealous, aren't you? Everyone says you must be, but personally I never believed it! I thought you were better than that, Luigi!"
Luigi turned, and his eyes were hard like ice. He didn't shout or yell, he just whispered fiercely.
"No," he said, "I won't admit it. And why? Because it's not true! I know people say I must be jealous of you! When they ask me and I tell them I'm not, they say 'well, aren't you a wonderful brother,' or something, but they don't believe me. I love you Mario, you're my brother and I'd never have you any other way, but I thought at least that you of all people would believe me when I said that."
With that, Luigi stopped, breathing heavily, then turned on his heel and stalked into the house. The door slammed.
Mario stood there, stunned. He suddenly felt like kicking himself.
All this time, I never knew what was bothering him…
"Luigi—" he began, but never got further than that. At that moment, the dragon passed overhead.
It still had Peach in its arms. It had nowhere to take her, and was feeling rather foolish and more than a little angry. So it vented its spite in a burst of flame that disintegrated the Mario Brothers' house.
"NO!" Mario screamed. He stared at the smoking ruin. "NOOO!"
He went to rush forward, but suddenly he was jerked upwards. Looking behind him, he realised that the spike on the end of the dragon's tail had caught in his shirt and he was being lifted away from the hill.
Mario grabbed the tail and clung to it, weeping. As the house faded from view, he cried out one more time.
"LUIGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Finished: 26/10/02
Oh ho ho, this is terrible isn't it? I must say it was a very dramatic ending by my standards. I'm sorry, my poor fellow Luigi fans! I didn't see this one coming actually.
It's quite possible that I'll get some flames now. Well, go ahead, I know I would.