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Author's Note:

Sorry to post this up so late in the day. I was watching Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards while I was finishing this up. Super excited about the awesome movies coming out this year, especially the sequel movie 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'.

Anyways, I haven't been working on this as much as I would like. With school, work, a possible writer's block, and my birthday coming up soon, progress with this story is coming along slowly. However, one thing I'm mostly certain about is that this story will have over 100 chapter (possibly 150 - give or take).

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea and any OCs.

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Chapter 64:
History Lesson

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Luigi let out a tired sigh after he finished cleaning the entire lab from top to bottom. He glanced around with admiration. Everything was spotless, thanks to him and he still had an hour left to spare.

"You take too much satisfaction in this," Mr. L commented.

'Well, I'm sorry if cleaning is sort of a bit of a hobby for me,'

"I like your other hobby…you know the one that usually involves Wendy,"

Luigi grew flushed. 'That's not a hobby. That's…That's…'

"It's what?"

'You know what; I'm ignoring you now,'

Suddenly the door opened and in comes the magikoopa himself. Kamek paused for a moment to study the conditions of the room. He nodded once it met his approval.

"Finely done," he said. "Did you clean my office as well?"

"Yup, all the papers on your desk are neatly stacked together while your file cabinets are arranged in alphabetical order." Luigi said "I also refill any empty chemical bottles and made a list on supplies we're running low on."

Kamek nodded once more. "Excellent. And it seems you still have some time left to spare. I guess I could let you out early, but what kind of boss will I be if I did that?"

"I don't know; a cool one?"

"I guess we could sit around and relax for a bit,"

Luigi nodded. He placed the cleaning supplies back in the small closet and followed Kamek to his office. He sat down in the chair across from him and let out another tired sigh.

"So...any questions?" Kamek asked once he was sited.

Luigi shock his head. "Nope,"

"You sure? I'm willing to answer any sort of question you may have,"

"Well," He thought. "I do have one but it's not related to the job. Actually, it's a question I wanted to ask for a while but couldn't find the right time."

"I see; tell me, what is your question?"

Luigi straighten up in his chair and made direct eye contact as he asked his question. "Who exactly is Clawd? Why is he so against Bowser?"

"Uh, that's two questions,"

'Oh, he knows what I mean,'

The old magikoopa sighed and leaned back in his chair. He didn't speak right away and Luigi didn't pressure him. He waited patiently for the old koopa's response as he considered his questions. After a long silence, Kamek sighed again and turned to the green plumber.

"It's a long story but I guess now is a good time to tell you," He said, sitting up. "But first I have a question to ask you…just how much do you know about our history?"

"Well," Luigi started. "You are the descendants of a quadruped turtle species known as the Shellcreepers and were very common in the prehistoric era. They went through a dramatic change in a short span of time which most believe was cause by a goddess of some sort. They were native inhabitants of their land known as Kuppas and were very tribal. They lived a primitive but peaceful life for many years until settlers from other land came across them.

"When the settlers first arrived in the Kuppas' territory, they were welcome with open arms. The settlers, however, thinking they were simply dumb and inferior creatures, turned their peaceful gesture against them, and started to capture and force them to do work as their slaves and laborers. It was then the Kuppas began to lose their land and their freedom to the needs of the settlers and the developing monarchies that surrounded them."

"That is correct," Kamek smiled. He was pleased with how much the plumber had learned about their ancestral history. "And it wasn't just the Kuppas that suffered… the Yoshiaurs, the Birdoctyls, all the weaker races of Dinosaur Land shared the same fate."

"I can see what first spark the hatred Koopas have towards other nations." Luigi said. "But why is it that the Mushroom Kingdom is the usually the main targeted of their hate?"

"The very first settlers the Kuppas encountered and were enslaved by were from a young kingdom – in other words, they were Toads."

"Oh," Luigi said softly. "I see,"

"The Mushroom Kingdom was only a few centuries old when they came cross the Kuppas. They thought by enslaving them it will help increase their rate of development which it did. Other nations, both old and young, didn't start import and selling slaves until a decade or so after the Mushroom Kingdom. By that time, the Kuppas' hate towards the Mushroom Landers was already great. And when other nations started to do the same, their hate simply grew even larger."

"That's a lot of hate,"

Kamek nodded. "Yes, and it takes a lot of time for that hate to fade."

"So what happened next?"

"The start of our great era, of course," He said. "After over two hundred years of slavery, one Kuppa finally stood up against his Masters and fought for his freedom."

"Oh I remember that one." Luigi said. "In the history books they called it the Dark Turning; it started an uprising all over the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Not just any uprising – it was the Kuppoleon Uprising is what we called it. It was one of the greatest highlights in Koopa History. As the name stated, Kuppoleon was one of a koopa species that, even now, has no name for itself."

"Bowser's species," Luigi guessed.

"Correct; his breed of Kuppas was very expensive; only those of very high class can afford."

"Such as the Mushroom Rulers,"

Kamek nodded. "The Mushroom Rulers had many Kuppa slaves, but Kuppoleon worked for the King personal servant. One day, he stopped taking orders. Well…maybe not stop; it was more like he downright refused. This anger the King greatly, so much that he decided to punish Kuppoleon himself. That's when things take a turn for the worse…

"In the middle of his punishment, Kuppoleon suddenly and completely snaps. He grabbed the much smaller king easily and killed him with his bare claws. The Queen screamed bloody murder, alerting the guards to the throne room. The guards moved swiftly but they were only in time to witness Kuppoleon standing over her lifeless body, his claws tainted with the blood of both her and the King's.

"Fueled by the horror and anger of their Monarch's gruesome murder, the guards attacked Kuppoleon. The fight resulted in a blood bath. Many of them were killed before Kuppoleon himself was finally detained and slaughtered, dozens more were left injured.

"When was finally over, the whole castle was left in chaos. The only one who didn't suffer Kuppoleon's wrath was the Monarch's newborn who unfortunately was in the room when the entire thing happened; Kuppoleon left the newborn completely unharmed."

"How come?"

"Well, when he looked upon the young crying infant, deep down under all his hate and rage, Kuppoleon could sense that the child was innocent and knew nothing of what was going on nor the sinful acts the people were doing to his kind."

"Wait, how do you know?" Luigi asked curiously. The old Koopa sounded very accurate about something that happened before his time.

Kamek smirked. "You're forgetting about my time travel ability,"

Luigi's eyes widen with sudden realization. Of course; that explains it. The powerful Magikoopa went back in time to witness the events that unfolded. In the Mushroom Library, that event was describes as one of the darkest times in Mushroom Kingdom History. The late King and Queen of that era were described to be fair and loved, and that their death was untimely, unjust, and cruel. That was probably true to the eyes of their people. But to the eyes of a slave, they were the monsters and Kuppoleon was their hero.

'That just goes to show you that there are always two sides to the same story,' Luigi thought.

'That also goes to show you that no one's completely good as well; where there is light there is always darkness and vise versa.

'Like me and you?'

'Exactly,'

"Anyways," Kamek continued. "News about the King and Queen's murder spread across the nation in just a few short months. Soon, the Toads and other Mushroom People began to fear for the safety of their own lives. This caused them to start treating the Kuppas even harsher in hopes it will ensure them in their place."

"But it didn't," Luigi said. "Instead it did the opposite,"

"That's right; the Mushroom People didn't know is but when they started using Kuppa slaves they slowly became physically weaker while the Kuppas, doing all of their hard work, became increasingly stronger and more durable. Not even a year after their Royals' death, Kuppas started to revolt against their masters and they too suffered the same fate as their beloved monarch.

"Much blood was spill on both sides. Other nations who heard about all the uprisings and deaths feared for their own safety and thought that importing Kuppa slaves was no longer worth as it once did. It took another 10 years before Kuppas were finally driven out and gained their freedom."

"Okay, this has been interesting and all, but what does it all have to do with your question?" Mr. L said.

"Now, you're probably wondering what this all have to do with your question," Kamek said.

"Holy crap, did he hear me?"

'Well you never know with Kamek; he has all sorts of powers.'

"Yeah, I do," Luigi replies.

"Don't worry; I was just getting to that...Okay, after many years of hardship and slavery the Kuppas were finally given the freedom they so rightly deserve. But soon after that, they were force to face a new problem."

"What's that?"

"They needed a place to call home," He answered "Working as slaves have not only changed them physically, but it also changed them mentally. They knew they no longer had the land their forefathers once own so..."

"They decided to steal it back"

"And who better to steal it from then the ones who took it from them in the very beginning."

"So the fighting between the Kuppas and the Mushroom Kingdom continues,"

"I'm afraid so; Kuppas started to invade and ransack small Mushroom villages and settlements, and claimed them as their own. Most of the Mushroom People were afraid of them and left their homes, fleeing for their lives; only a few fought against them and paid a heavy price.

"Eventually, a civil war broke out and more lives were lost. It wasn't until the Mushroom Kingdom's newly crown young princess decided to put an end to all this bloodshed by heading over and speaking with the Kuppas personally.

"This princess was the same one Kuppoleon spared years ago. Now grown up and ruling the kingdom, she went by the simple name of Princess Toadstool.

"When she stood before the Kuppas, she asked to speak with their leader. Among the group, a large Kuppa stepped forward and stood against the princess.

"The Kappa in front of her was Kuppoleon's very own son who was the exact resemblance of his father. He stared down at the princess with eyes full of hate and distrust.

"The Princess, now standing in front of the son of the Kuppa who murdered her parents, met his glare with a glare of her own; eyes full of hate and distrust, but also with guilt and understanding.

"She asked that the Kuppas cease their assaults on her people and as a result, promise to gain them their own land. The Kuppa Leader was skeptical of her offer and had refused. But the princess was a stubborn one; she refused to take no for an answer. So she did the one thing that no one expected her to do,"

"And that is?"

"She begged... she surprised everyone around her when she got down on her knees and begin to beg for forgiveness. Her guards were horrified by her actions, pleading with her that she shouldn't beg to which savage creatures.

"The Kuppas, although surprise, said that begging wasn't enough; they want the princess's head and the entire Mushroom Kingdom to suffer the same way they did. They were, however, silenced by their leader.

"The Kuppa Leader stood over the Mushroom Princess and ordered her to stand. He told the princess that his people had endured too much to be wiped out in a war so he accepted her offer. However, he wisely told her that she will never understand the hardships they had lived through and that the hate they felt towards her and the kingdom will last for generations to come.

"The Kuppas stopped their assaults soon after that. Just as she had promised, the Princess gained them their own land. The Valley of Green – a large, very fertile state of land the Mushroom Kingdom had gained at the end of the Great Mushroom War with Sarasaland and the Bean Kingdom.

"Now with a place to call home, the Kuppas were relatively happy but not satisfied. They wanted to ensure that they keep their land and their freedom so the events of slavery never happen again.

"They did this by starting their own Kingdom. They labeled the Kuppa leader as their very first king. In his honor, they decided to rename themselves and their Kingdom after him – King Koopa.

"And thus the Koopa Kingdom was born."

Luigi sat up in his seat, stretching a bit. "Well, that was a nice historical story," He said. "But uhm, it still didn't answer my questions."

"It didn't?" Kamek frowned. Luigi shook his head. "Oh, well; perhaps next time,"

"Wait, what?"

Kamek stood up from his chair and headed for the door. "It's time for you to go, is it not?"

Luigi glanced at clock. It was thirty minutes passed the time he was supposed to get off. "Yeah, but…"

"Well then, you should get going; I'm not paying you over time by the way,"

Before he can say anything else, the old magikoopa disappeared behind the corner. Luigi sighed and fell back in his chair.

"I'm sorry but...did he just leave me hanging?"

'Forget that; you're not getting paid overtime, what a load of BS!'

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Ending Note:

In 'Paper Mario', Kammy stated that the motive of the clan is to have revenge against all who have treated Koopa Troopas poorly. This got me thinking what did the Mushroom Kingdom (or any kingdom for that matter) do to make the Koopa want revenge on them. I thought about it for a while and slavery popped inside my head.

Also, I do plan on having half, maybe a full chapter on how everyone else in the Mushroom Kingdom are doing. I just have to start working on it and find a suitable space for it.

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