Chapter 15: Draconian Fear

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The Mushroom Kingdom was ablaze, as the smoke began to cloud the skies in a dense grey haze. The citizens that had been able to escape from the Space Pirates surprise attack were in complete disarray, fleeing in every direction and throwing caution to the wind. Those who weren't so lucky and were rounded up by the pirates found themselves either being hauled off to the invaders ships as prisoners, or being used as target practice, many Toads sent flying from the aliens blasters and knocked unconscious from the explosions.

Yet for a moment, when it seemed like all hope was lost, they arrived. The famous Mario brothers, the red and green plumbers arrived on the scene and did what they do best, clean up the mess. Despite being outnumbered by the invading aliens the daring duo came in like a hurricane, taking out the space pirate trash like they were tinfoil, much to the excitement of the Toads who were able to see the action in and around the ruins of Toad Town. Their teamwork was perfectly in-sync and it seemed like as usual, they would have the day saved before sun down.

And then the Leader of the Space Pirates showed up. The towering purple dragon was far more menacing than anything Bowser had brought to the table, his vicious maw, razor sharp claws and long cleaver of a tail having done massive damage to Peach's Castle. Yet that wasn't the end of it, the dragon's onslaught of fiery breath, wings for flight and its skeletal yet somehow still muscular frame proved to be a grizzly, yet dangerous form, one that no creature of the Mushroom Kingdom would have any familiarity with.

Though the Mario Brothers would tackle the dragon head on, it quickly showed it was also much more than a wild animal. The beast seemed to be quite intelligent, as it showed when up against two opponents at once, using its long tail to keep one of the brothers busy while any attempts by the other to get close were met with his claws and fangs trying to strike right through them. Despite their best efforts to tag team the beast, it proved to be more than a match for the two, and when the moment finally came to get the upper hand, the dragon pounced.

"ACK!" Mario cried out, having been slammed down to the ground on his back. The dragon's foot had managed to pin him down after he was knocked off his feet by its whip-like tail, losing his balance and getting immobilized. His gloved hands grabbed hold of the beast's sharpened talons and feebly smacked against the foot, trying to get any sort of leverage to escape, but none came "Luigi!" the red plumber called to his brother, turning his head back to see him.

It didn't take long to spot his green clad brother, Luigi having been knocked back by the dragon's tail as well, landing square on his butt. His eyes were wide with fear as he saw the creature menacingly tower over his brother, maw agape to show his rows of jagged teeth, a long forked tongue snaking down and caressing the red clad brother's face. "N-Nnngh, g-get that away from me you overgrown lizard!" Mario said defiantly, still struggling underneath the beast's foot.

"M-Mario…" Luigi's voice cracked, terrified of the sight before him. Though he was happy to see his brother holding fast against such a mighty foe, the beast clearly had the upper hand, and there was no opening the green plumber could possibly see to free his brother. So long as Mario was underfoot, all the dragon had to do was decide it had enough of him and could incinerate him. But if Luigi were to try an attack, it could do the same thing, defeating the purpose of his attempted rescue and roasting poor Mario like a marshmallow.

That was when the dragon locked eyes with the poor green plumber, its sickly yellow to his trembling blue. It dragged the foot Mario was underneath forward, the rest of his body following as it gazed down at Luigi, towering over him as the smoke obscured parts of his head, his eyes glowing through the haze. Luigi nervously scooted back from his spot as his brother continued to struggle, before the dragon lunged its head forward right in Luigi's face and let out a deafening roar.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH" The ground shook violently as both plumbers covered their ears, nearby glass from houses that hadn't been set ablaze shattering from the frequency.

"Y-YEAAAAAAAGH!" Luigi cried out in fear, his legs moving before his brain could stop them, the plumber taking off running as his fight or flight instinct took hold. The plumber's white gloved hands were held high as he sprinted away from the nightmare of a dragon, his brother's own hand reaching out for him.

"L-Luigi wait!" Mario called for his brother, having to stop as he groaned in pain, the dragon's foot pressing down on him as it focused its attention back on its captured prey. "M-Mmmf, get…off of me, you…" He trailed off as the dragon reached down with one of its claws, wrapping the red clad hero in its boney fingers and lifting him out from under his foot. It raised him up to eye level and opened its ghastly mouth, smoke billowing out as the back of it was illuminated by the potential fire forming in its stomach.

The stench was almost overwhelming, Mario trying in desperation to cover his nose from the putrid odor, but with his arms restrained in the dragon's grip, he was unable to do so. His eyes started to well up with tears from the stench as the dragon moved its head closer, toying with him as it could see his suffering up close. A low growl escaped its own jaws as Mario shook in its grip, trying in vain to find some way out of his hold. "Y-You won't win…even if you take me down, there's plenty of people across the lands who do their part to save the day…"

"Maybe in your world that's normal. But unfortunately for you, I Don't Care."

Marios eyes widened in alarm as the dragon gripping him spoke, not just actual words but eloquently, a ghastly tone to his words. "Y-You can talk?! W-Wait, you can understand us then?"

"Oh I understand PLENTY about you, Mario." It mused, his grip tightening and making Mario wince. "More than you may ever know. I won't be stopping with this puny castle. There's a whole world out here that I intend to burn to ash."

"You…Just w-who are?" Mario coughed out, struggling to keep conscious from the pressure being applied to his body, finding it harder to breathe as well as the dragon blew smoke over his body.

"I am Ridley, General of the Space Pirates. And you are Nothing to me."

Marios vision began to blur, as he found it ever more difficult to stay conscious in the dragon's grip. His last attempt to break free, a feeble shake in Ridley's claws, proved ineffective, as the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom soon lost consciousness.

Ridley smirked to himself internally as he looked over the unconscious plumber's body. So this is that legendary plumber that Bowser was complaining about always losing to? What a pushover. And his brother, not even worth pursuing if he can't keep his pants clean. Flapping his wings, the Dragon began to ascend, taking to the skies and flying towards the floating ships of his followers.

Once he got in close, he let out a loud and triumphant roar, indicating to the other Pirates that the Kingdom's greatest defense had fallen. He could hear the sounds of his troops cheering in applause to hear their one major obstacle had been dispatched of, as Ridley held the plumber's body tight in his grip. Maybe I didn't NEED to inform him I can talk, but the look on his face was Priceless~ A fine trophy you shall make of my conquest in this pathetic world.

Meanwhile…

"N-Now come quickly Princess! We have to make our exit, post haste!" Toadsworth called down the hall. The elder Toad had run ahead to prepare their escape from the castle when the siege had begun, a hand to his white mustache as the other held fast to his cane. Using a secret passage in the basement to make their getaway, the elder and his escortee could feel the castle rumble and shake as damage was done to its exterior, parts of the castles roof or pillars slowly collapsing in on itself

"Coming Toadsworth!" A female voice called out, as the clicking of heels grew louder. The Princess soon came into the elder toad's vision, her long blond hair running down to her back, her lovely pink dress being lifted up by her white gloved hands as she made a brisk pace after him. "Phew…You did make sure all the other Toads got out alright, correct?"

"I assure you it was taken care of Princess, but now it is your turn!" Toadsworth replied, flabbergasted that Princess Peach was still concerned with her lowly toads while her life was in danger. "Now tallyho, we need to get out of here!" He added, before taking a moment to use his cane to press some of the bricks on the wall. After a few moments and some rumbling, the wall itself opened, revealing a small room that he quickly led his Princess into.

The room contained an assortment of colorful pipes, each a different hue with a small plaque above them, signifying where they would lead. As the entrance to the room sealed behind them, Peach took a moment of looking over the pipes before finding the one they were looking for. "Here Toadsworth!" She said, as she stood before a grayish white pipe. "This one, correct?"

"Indubitably Princess!" He replied as he motioned for her to enter the pipe. "Now onward, and posthaste! We need to get out of here and warn them about these invaders!" Nodding in agreement with her advisor, Peach quickly ducked her head and entered into the pipe, as her trusted elder followed suit, the two disappearing from the room. The rumbling above only grew worse as more and more of the castle began to collapse, the wreckage burying the hidden room and obscuring it from any unwanted eyes as the two made their escape.

Oh Mario Peach thought as she and Toadsworth crawled forward towards their destination. Please be alright. Both you, and Luigi.