It was hours after Tatanga had set fire to his home and killed his dad. He had been walking non-stop ever since he left the house. He wasn't even sure where he was going but all he knew was that he wanted to get as far away from his home as possible. His feet was killing him but he was determined to keep on going.
Tatanga reached a forest and decided to head on in, not even afraid of the wild animals that could be lurking about in there. Right as he went in, he heard banging noises, like a hammer hitting against something metallic. Another sound was heard that sounded like a drill. The alien was curious as to what someone could be working on or fixing so late in the night (or early in the morning).
He kept on walking forward, the construction sounds getting louder. Since the sky was starting to get light, indicating that it was somewhere between 5 to 6 AM, he could see decently enough to know what was ahead. He continued to walk onward for about another minute till he saw something huge and unbelievable that sent chills down his spine.
It was something that looked like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie. From what he could guess, it was some kind of air carrier...a type of spaceship, perhaps? Well, whatever it was, Tatanga was shocked at how perfectly built it was. Everything was aligned nicely and it was so clean. There were two huge sockets on each side that looked it was used for blasters or something of the shooting kind. There was also a seat at the top on the spaceship along with what looked like a control panel in front of the chair. The guy who was working on it must've been making the final touches. The guy was nothing other than a tall Koopa who was wiping the sweat off of his forehead now. He must be done with it since he's now putting the tools away.
Something about this spaceship definitely sparked Tatanga's interest. It was so big, threatening, and...indestructible. He never thought for a second that something as technologically advanced as this would be made just yet.
He very much wanted to ask the koopa how he managed to build this and for what reason but he was scared since he had a feeling the koopa would be freaked out by someone that just so happened to stumble upon this wonderful creation in the early hours of the morning.
The Koopa stretched his arms and legs out and made a yawn, obviously tired at this point. He looked straight ahead him for just a second, but that was enough to make him shriek.
"Ah! Wh-who are you!? What the hell are you doing here!?" He yelled, immediately grabbing a wrench from his toolbag.
"S-s-s-sorry! I just...I...um...was just taking a morning stroll through the woods and...um...I heard noises from afar so I wanted to see what it was and...here I am..." Tatanga very nervously came up with that bogus explanation on the spot. He could tell the Koopa didn't believe him.
"...Sure you were. Now I suggest you leave unless you want this wrench stuck in your eye," The koopa threatened.
Tatanga wasn't scared of him. In fact, he was getting kind of mad at how this stranger was a complete asshole to him for no reason. But, he decided to brush it off since he wanted to ask him something.
"How did you manage to build something so...amazing? And why? It must've taken a lot of money and hard work to do it..."
The koopa rolled his eyes, clearly not up to giving the explanation but he did anyways. "I made this fine piece because I am an inventor. I want to show the world my brilliant ideas and what better way to do it than to create something no regular person would ever bother to do!? I want to be famous, to be legendary...and now I have got everything I need to execute it. I'm going to be in books and magazines for years to come. Five years of hard work definitely pays off."
Tatanga widened his eyes a bit. This guy created some spaceship just to achieve fame? He seems a bit messed in the head...but then again, if this spaceship is actually legit, then he just might be a lot more brilliant than Tatanga realized.
"Wow...five years...can...can I feel it?" Tatanga asked, almost as if he was mesmerized by the spaceship.
"WHAT!? Hell no! I don't want your dirty paws on this thing, EVER! Now screw off! I don't have time for meaningless kids like you!" The koopa suddenly barked.
Tatanga's anger grew even more. "Don't you ever call me a kid again. I am NOT a kid."
"Why, what are you gonna do? Kill me? Pah! Oh, I see, you're one of THOSE kids that are all bark and no bite!" The koopa mocked and laughed right in his face.
That was it. Tatanga had enough of this asshole. He swiped his wrench and bashed him in the head with it, knocking him out instantly. Actually, he wasn't sure if the blow had already killed him or not, but he didn't care. All he wanted right now was the ship. If this thing actually works, then he could become unstoppable with it. He got in the cockpit and was surprised to see that the control panel was a lot more simple looking than he imagined. There was something that resembled a large joystick right smack in the middle with a small red button on top of it. He assumed that this was used to control the flying of the spaceship. A large red button was located on the left, which he also assumed that that was for the blaster...but a large green button was also seen, but on the right side instead. What could this be used for? He pressed it and all that happened was some kind of sound that sounded like a car engine beginning to run. Tatanga pressed it again and the noise happened again briefly. The alien then knew what this was all about. He pressed and held the button longer this time and everything in spaceship lighted up and was officially turned on. Tatanga laughed a little in excitement. Right after this, the glass case closed and locked in place above him. This was probably made to protect the driver from anything harmful in the air while flying. The alien then pressed the tiny red button on the joystick and suddenly, the spaceship began to float. Tatanga laughed even more, he couldn't believe this was actually happening! He kept pressing down on the red button until he saw himself above the forest, above all of the trees. He saw the sky becoming orange in the far distance, indicating that sunrise was due in a short while. He decided to go up a bit further just to get a better view of the land below him. He finally stopped and saw everything he could for miles on end. It actually scared him a bit since he was not fond of heights. He was praying in his mind that this contraption WAS actually finished like the koopa said, and that it wouldn't malfunction or breakdown.
He moved the 'joystick' forward and so the spaceship moved forward as well at a decent speed. Tatanga's nerves began to settle as he began to become amazed by how this was actually happening, he was in some kind of futuristic machine traveling through the air! He never thought for one second that he would be able to do this in his entire life. He could see the roads and some houses down below, though the streets were mostly empty since it was still very early in the morning. He kept on flying for a few more minutes, enjoying the grand view, until he saw something that caught his attention.
It was his house. The fire department and police were there and they were still spraying the house down. Mass amounts of smoke was seen coming from it as well. He had actually forgotten about committing his heinous act of crime in the past hour or so due to his new discovery. He could see people out there looking concerned and gossiping about what could've started the fire. All of his excitement and joy suddenly faded away. Looking at the house made him suddenly remember what his dad said to him just before he set fire to the place. He even remembered all the days of being cooped up in his room, all depressed and whatnot. He now thought that place was full of evil. It was a place that he NEVER wanted to return to. Just thinking about it now makes him panic and give him a migraine. He had to get rid of it. He didn't want to see it again. He slammed his hand down on the red button, and then some kind of laser blast came out from the sockets of the spaceship and directly hit his house, causing a small explosion and wrecking it even further. He gasped at what he did, not thinking that that would actually happen. He saw the police men and fire people quickly getting back from the mess. He could hear the terrified screams of the nearby witnesses. His house was no longer recognizable and everything that was not burned by the previous fire, was now gone forever too. He shook his head, started to hyperventilate, and got the hell out of there before anyone could spot him.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Tatanga opened his eyes, and there he was, head down on his desk in his room on the island. He raised his head up and groaned.
"Ugggghhhh...NOT AGAIN!" He yelled, really getting tired of all these weird and long flashbacks. He got up and opened the door. It was Dimentio.
"Good evening, master! I am here to report about what went down at the Spirit Temple. I assume everything went okay at that place with the industrial boat?" Dimentio asked.
"What? Industrial boat? What do you mean?" Tatanga asked in confusion.
"Err...you DID manage to get to that place that was described as having an industrial boat in odd colored water, did you not?" Dimentio clarified.
"Oh! Yes! That place! Sorry, I have no idea what the hell is going on with my head lately...but anyways, I'm afraid to say that my goal in getting the gem was unsuccessful. I looked everywhere I could, in and around the ship, but my search was interrupted by this ugly old witch! She kept threatening me, telling me to get back where I came from, or else she'll turn me into a four eyed frog. She also kept making these weird rhymes that made no sense at all. I tried to fight that bitch with all the power that I could, but she was too strong and quick, and my spaceship was at risk at getting obliterated by her magic spells so I had to get out of there," Tatanga explained.
"Oh dear! I am terribly sorry to hear that, Tatanga...but...this witch that attacked you...it wasn't Kammy Koopa, was it? The one that always wears a purple cloak and has gray hair and glasses?" Dimentio asked.
"No no no. This witch was a lot bigger and she was really bony too! It was kind of gross, it was as if she died a long time ago and got resurrected back to life recently, except that her skin wasn't recovered with her either. Yucky!" Tatanga shivered in disgust.
"Oh wow. Sounds quite disturbing, like a horror movie about killer clowns! But alas, I'm afraid to say that my quest in getting the gem was a failure as well. I went into the Spirit Temple and began my search for the gem when this thing came out of nowhere and tried to kill me! I swear to you, it was nothing that I've ever seen before! It kept on giggling like it was on drugs and I got plenty hurt by its magic attacks! I barely managed to escape...I also met up with those annoying heroes in there, told them about the monster I saw. I figured they wouldn't stand a chance against that beast so I let them deal with it and get themselves killed, ha!" Dimentio smirked.
"...And you didn't stay there just to make sure that they WERE killed?" Tatanga questioned.
Dimentio's smirk turned into a frown. "...Oh...I guess I didn't think that one out. My apologies..."
Tatanga frustratingly sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Whatever! Even if by some miracle that they do get all the gems, it will be too late since my weapon should be completed by then. They're pretty much doing all that hard work for nothing...heh...bunch of idiots. Anyways, do you know if Doopliss is back? I sent him off to Mushroom City via the underground teleporter to get me something right before I left but I don't know if he has returned yet."
"I have not seen him yet. Want me to go chase after him and threaten him to get back now?" Dimentio half-jokingly asked.
"Ugh, what the hell could be taking him so long!? But...no. I can wait. But now, if these heroes did manage to get that gem from the Spirit Temple, if they're following the list in order, that means they'll go to the place where the industrial boat lies next," Tatanga said.
"Well it's not such a problem then. That witch you encountered there should slow them down quite a bit, or even better, she'll beat them down hard like a swatter to a fly!" Dimentio laughed. Tatanga did not respond to him as he was deep in thought about something else.
"Actually...Dimentio...I have a favor to ask of you. When I used that orb on my scepter to spy on the heroes, I noticed that the location they were in was most likely a cafeteria. This place that contains a cafeteria is also a place where all those kidnapped people must be hiding out at. The only places I can think of that have cafeterias are schools and hospitals. I want you to find out the place where they are all staying at. The location MUST be in or around Mushroom City. Once you find them, do NOT do anything to draw attention to yourself, just report the location back to me and we will take it from there," Tatanga instructed. Dimentio grew another smirk as he knew what Tatanga had in mind.
"Will do, sir. I shall be back before you know it," The jester excitedly responded and walked off. Tatanga walked out of his room and towards the opposite direction and accidentally bumped into Grodus.
"YOW! Grodus, watch where you're going!" The alien grunted.
"Oh, Tatanga! I am so sorry for invading your bubble. Should I go dunk my head in steaming water as punishment?" Grodus said in a taunting way.
"EH!? What the hell is that suppose to mean!?" Tatanga asked in confusion and anger.
"It means that I shouldn't have to take all the crap I get from you. I shouldn't have to let some bitter freak alien who was defeated by some mere human being and who acts like he is God's gift to the world drag me down for no reason at every chance he gets," Grodus angrily stated. Tatanga laughed a little and shook his head.
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. I OWN you, you son of a bitch. So either play nice with me or else I'll blast your ass off of this island!" He threatened.
"Trying to get me voted off the island, I see? You've had a grudge against me since day one, so you don't dare deny it. For someone who is so 'evil' and 'powerful' you sure are a coward at admitting the truth. You never wanted me to tag along, you just wanted my scepter. The only reason you took me with you was because you felt sorry for me and made me do this world domination crap. Actually, no, you didn't want me to partake in the plan at all, you just wanted someone to lash out at whenever you're feeling depressed because that's all you ever do, you take out your frustrations onto other people because it makes you feel better. For someone who has experienced so much hell throughout their life, you sure do act like a bratty child," Grodus ranted.
Tatanga turned red in the face. He was REALLY getting pissed off at how this piece of crap acted like he knew every single thing about him.
"Do you want that head removed from your body again? If not, then I suggest you better shut your fucking mouth you worthless bane of existence. I MADE you. I made all of you! Before me, you were just some stupid head jumping around all over the place and had no future at all, actually, at that point, your existence was pointless," Tatanga told him real good (so he thought of course).
"You are so full of yourself it isn't even funny. You think that just because you brought my body back and brought us all together that you can treat us like puppets?" Grodus asked.
"But you are. Don't you see that? You don't exist without me," Tatanga answered with confidence.
"Is that what you actually think? Ha! Tell me this then, what is a leader without any followers? Because it seems to me the question isn't whether we will exist without you, but whether you will exist without us. As far as I'm concerned, you seem perfectly capable to do the world domination plan all by yourself, but somehow, you need the help of other minor-league villains just so you can feel like you actually have friends for once in your pathetic life," Grodus retorted very coldly.
Tatanga has had it with him. He gave him a real powerful punch to the face that knocked him right to the ground, almost knocking him out cold.
"You are dead to me, Grodus. Leave this place and don't ever fucking come back again. Oh, and one more thing...if I do manage to see you again after this, somehow, someway...I will bury you alive," Tatanga left it at that and walked right past.
While Grodus was in obvious pain, he managed to grow a smile and even chuckled a bit. Everything was going according to plan.
EOC.
Next chapter will be the variety show and after that, we will see what happens with Roy now that he has decided to become an actual villain and try to find Tatanga.
