A distorted corruption.
The words rang through Pyro's head as he and Teela crossed the barren plains. He had been thinking very hard, something very abnormal for him.
Fake.
Maybe it was because he wouldn't really be at rest until he could ascertain who this friend of Teela's was? But nonetheless, it seemed his mind was flushed of everything else except those phrases and their repetitive nature.
Nothing but a copy.
"What do they mean?" he asked aloud.
"What does what mean?" asked Teela, stopping and turning in his direction.
Skin of cold.
"... Nothing," replied the perplexed Boo, crossing his arms. "Some things just keep popping into my head. Wadaya think it is?"
"I dunno," said Teela as she pushed her hair behind her head without a care.
"... Uh, well..." He sighed, hoping for an answer to leap out from whatever shadow it hid in. "I guess I'm being to tetchy about it."
False.
It started to worry him, like that Yoshi counterpart of his was trying to tap into his mind. A look of concern swept his face, while Teela maintained her usual enthusiasm. "Hey, don't worry about him," she said, almost reading his mind. "We have to focus on two things: getting out of here, and figuring out that Darkness."
Pyro looked upward to the blinding rays of the sun, and could feel himself fading away in the Light. "Right," he replied, knowing things would turn for the better if he took each stride with confidence. "Where is this friend of yours anyway?" he followed up, feeling the Darkness inside him retreat for the time being.
"Dark Land..." The Yoshi sighed, knowing that was very, very far away.
"Dark Land?! That's miles away!" griped Pyro, wishing he was ignorant to that.
"I know... But I've been thinking about it." She stopped and took a breath.
"I haven't used this in a while... And I've been doubtful. But I know it was stronger when my Protosyatha Connection was fresh…" murmered Teela as she let Chirpy land on her shoulder.
"Protosytha Connection?" repeated Pyro with an expression that reminded Teela of when you find something with horrid memories.
"Yes."
"..." He knew what Protosytha was. It was when two people shared a bond of advanced telepathy, where they could simply connect their minds, or go as far as ultimately possessing each other. It was a very ancient bond, either complex or simple depending on the pair. "Okay... What's our game plan?"
"I think I can teleport us... Given I can focus an image in and my power will support it," she added, as Pyro's face lit up.
"Are you serious?!" Pyro was now riddled with amazement with how she could actually transport from one place to another in a blink of an eye, a talent he'd always envied.
"Yeah, but it's hard. Don't get your hopes up, 'cause I'm a little rusty."
"Don't worry. I trust youm" he replied with a snide grin. "Just make sure I come out alive... or whatever state I'm in." Their laughter was carried on the air and banished to the unknown.
"Okay... I'm gonna need some prep time to get myself in the zone," said Teela, trying to snap herself into a quick meditation.
Pyro nodded and turned away, visualizing them teleporting. It didn't come easy, since he wasn't well acquainted with instant transportation, despite him being some sort of apparition locked between life and death. The irony kills me... he thought.
"... All right... Think I'm ready..." started Teela, clenching her hands in and out simultaniously before sighing. Pyro kept his back turned, but still answered.
"Feh, teleporting can't be that hard," he answered as he waved his hand in the wind, trying to sound erudite on the subject.
"Yeah, I just hope it doesn't hurt me too badly."
"What?" he asked, turning around immediately. Teela sighed and frowned, as if she was expecting it to burst out of him.
"My powers-" she tapped her large fangs and sighed, "-are unlike yours. They're mentally straining, but at the same time physically straining. I have to be careful... because if I burn too much, I could very easily die."
"WHAT?!"
"Trust me, I've learned the hard way. I came close a few times," she said, turning her head down. Both of them were silent for a moment, which seemed eternal within the confines of their minds.
"... Maybe we shouldn't..." started Pyro, looking back up. He stopped, seeing Teela shake her head.
"I'm not afraid of what I can do," she replied with a vibrant gleam in her eyes.
"... Then... If you're sure..."
"Hold my hand," she said, extending her paw out in a welcoming way. Pyro grasped it tightly, and gulped.
"Let's go." With that, Teela held her arm out. Chirpy landed and trotted over, clinging as hard as he could with his tiny feet to her soft skin. She shut her eyes, and visualized Kastle Koopa.
A dark blue sky watched over with sunlight passing through serenely. The occasional bird swam through the skies as a giant, black fortress towered the area. Around it were patches of plush grass, trees, and a moat. Stairs ascended over the waters where a drawbridge would be, giving it a unique look. Kastle Koopa...
The wind started to pick up. Pyro looked around, and started to shiver. The wind then became more vicious, picking up rocks and dirt. A whirlwind was soon formed, and the three of them were picked up, gripping each other as hard as they could. "Here it come-" Teela's words were whisked away as the trio was sucked into a veil of white.
...
"WHERE ARE WE?!" Pyro screamed, letting go of Teela by accident. She grabbed him by the threads of his bandana, but his flailing didn't help much. The entire area was white, with floruescent colors flowing downward. It smelled like a garden, and he started to lose himself. The place was completely devoid of Darkness. "TEELA?!"
"We're almost done! Hold tight!"
"CHIRP!!!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Brace yourself!"
...
Panting, Pyro sat on lush grass. "What... was that?!"
"Are you okay?" said Teela, extending a hand down to him.
"What a rush!" he replied, taking her hand. After a quick observation, he took notice that he was within a thicket. "Un-freakin-real!"
"Feh..." She smirked, but clutched her side. Pyro's grin quickly faded into a frown filled with concern.
"What's wrong?" he asked instinctively. Teela just continued smiling through the evident pain she was in.
"I told you it was painful," she said, laughing weakly. She looked as if she was about to pass out, so Pyro held her steady.
"Oh no, you ain't fainting now. C'mon, ya shoulda used the Light," he reprimanded sarcastically. She regained balance and allowed Chirpy to land on her arm.
"I'm fine. We're just outside the castle grounds, so we should get going while we still can," said Teela, but Pyro didn't seem to follow.
"Castle?"
"Yeah, we're near Kastle Koopa," the Yoshi answered. Pyro looked down for a second and squinted, trying to figure out where he'd heard that name before. After a few seconds, it sparked through his mind.
"... Oh!"
Flashback...
"Ugh... Where am I?" Matt awoke on a cold floor of some kind of corridor. He picked himself up and looked around.
"You're in the Kastle Koopa."
"... Kastle what?"
"Kastle Koopa, the home of King Bowser and his minions."
End Flashback...
"I've been here before," he stated, following Teela and Chirpy through the thicket. They came to an opening, to what seemed like a courtyard. A large fountain sat in the middle of the yard, with water smoothly spouting from the mouth, in a hypnotizing manner. "Yeah, I have!"
"Now... Where is she?" started Teela, jerking her head right and left. Pyro looked as well, despite being ignorant to who this person was.
"Hey..." he started, squnting a bit as he concentrated. "Ya think we could sniff her out?"
"... Worth a try," replied Teela, nodding. Pyro nodded as well, and tried as hard as he could to find a scent of roses, or some kind of flora. After a bit of searching, he smelled a bit of abnormality. "I think I got something," he said, waltzing forward and sniffing.
"What?" asked Teela, popping up behind him.
"Lilac. And I'm not sure they grow it around here, either," said Pyro, careful not to lose the scent.
"Well, I guess Larry might grow some lilac, but his is way up in the castle. I don't think he could make the smell come all the way outside a few floors down." Of course, Pyro knew no Larry, so he just gave Teela a funny look.
"Um... Okay," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I got the..." He stopped, and closed his eyes. "Yeah, this smell is pungeant." He moaned, waving to where his nose should be. "I don't want to smell any more of this than I have to. I'm getting sick," whined Pyro as Teela ran in front of him.
"Okay then. Where is it?" said Teela. Pyro didn't seem to be listening, or was just focused on the smell.
She was right. Pyro was under the influence of the same scent, and another scent. It was making voices come back into his head, but not quite like the ones he heard earlier. This time, there were four, and they each had their own unique tone. One was very girly and obviously belonged to a female, while another was clearly a male's with an odd accent of unitelligible origin. The third was another female's, but her voice didn't sound as immature as the other girl's. The last was also a male's, but sounded younger and had a heavy city accent.
...
A quartet of footsteps were heard.
"Ahh, finally. Outdoors," said the older male, and a sound of a door creaking open followed. The young female laughed.
"Yeah... Enough time cooped up inside," said the older-sounding female.
"Right! The world outside mustn't be deprived of my beauty!" proclaimed the younger girl.
"Feh, you? A beauty? I think ya got dat veeeery wrong, Kootie Pie. Yoshibutt over here is cuter den you, and she's still a shipwreck!"
"Hey!" yelled the older girl and older boy simultaniously.
"SHUT UP, BULLY!" screamed the girl, and a tripping sound followed.
"Woah!" the young boy bellowed, and a splash followed.
"Enough, Wendy," said the older boy, sounding as if he'd crouched down. Not much later, the boy from earlier was fished out of the water.
"Okay, dat's it! Dis is war!" said the younger boy, and the boy stampeded toward the younger girl like a locomotive. The girl screeched and a slashing sound was heard. "AHH! WENDY! I'LL RIP DOSE NAILS OFF AND FORCE FEED YA DEM!"
"BRING IT, BALDY!"
"Woah!" the older girl screamed, as the two others charged towards each other, while she apparently was in the way. Loud footsteps were then heard and two thumps hit the ground. The older girl was panting behind the eldest male.
"I said enough, you two!" boomed the older boy, and the familiar crackle of fire echoed.
"AHHHHH!!! KOOKY, STAY OUTTA THIS!" screamed the girl, apparently patting flames on her body.
"YEAH!"yYelped the young boy, spitting on the fire repeatedly until he could produce no more saliva. The older male merely cackled a mangled and grotesque laugh.
"He warned you!" laughed the older girl amidst their poor extinguishing.
...
"... Pyro?" said Teela, waving her paw in front of his face. Pyro shook his head and came back into reality. All he could think of was that smell, and the voices intertwined with it.
"The front door. It's the lilac... And something else. It's-" he took another whiff, "-cold."
"Like frost?"
"... I think so. But it's not a natural smell. Kind of like... I don't even know..." he muttered, as Teela nodded. Teela then took a whiff herself.
"I smell it too," she said, kind of shivering.
"So, do ya know where this door is?" Pyro asked, as Teela sighed and pointed forward.
"Around the front. Duh."
"..."
Teela led the way as Chirpy took flight above them. It was a short walk once they found their way around the side, and they were able to manuver easily without any traps. Once around the edge of the side, Teela peeked around the front. "Well, there go... Wendy and Roy," she said to herself, seeing two smoking blurs run inside. The charred remains of a bow lay at the foot of a male, teenage Koopa and a female hybrid of a Yoshi and a Koopa. He had an out-of-place blue mop of hair on his head, which shimmered in the daylight, while she had black hair that was painstakingly brushed perfectly. She then turned to Pyro and said, "You stay here... I'm not sure you know these guys. Whatever you do, DO NOT let them spot you. I know they don't like unwelcome visitors here." With that, she walked into the frontyard.
Pyro didn't like to take orders, but sighed in agreement. "Okay, make this quick. I don't want the bird of prey over here as company all night," remarked Pyro. She didn't seem to hear, as she walked towards the figures. Feeling rebelious, Pyro floated over the moat to get a better look. But when he did, the familiar feelings of happiness and queasiness fell over him. On the steps jutting out stood "LUDWIG AND KARMA?!"
"Whuzzat?"
"Huh?"
Both of them turned their attention from Teela and faced Pyro with confused faces. Teela smacked her head in frustration, and turned around to face Pyro. He was unmoving, transfixed on the two. "I told you to wait back there!" Teela retorted angrily.
"Guys!" Pyro finally said with a huge grin, while Teela just sighed.
The Yoshi walked over to him and they advanced towards Ludwig and Karma. Quietly, she asked him, "Ya know these guys?"
"Uh huh." Pyro nodded. Once they reached them, Ludwig and Karma jumped off the stairs. Karma rested her hands behind her head, racking her brain for a past image of the Boo before her. Ludwig merely eyed him maliciously.
"Who's this?" he asked, leering at Pyro coldly. Karma pulled him back by his shell.
"What're you talk-" Pyro stopped, looked at his hands, and sighed. "Oh."
"Don't mind Poofball," she said, also taking a closer look. Recognizing the bandana, she squinted. "Where do I know you?"
Teela, noticing Karma was transfixed on the bandana, took it off Pyro and wavered in front of her and Ludwig's faces. Pyro grumbled as Teela gripped his hairpiece, but knew he really didn't have any say in the matter. "Remember this?" she asked, holding it stationary in front of their faces. Ludwig started to snap his fingers as he thought, but everything right there seemed to click in Karma's mind.
Flashback...
"So, anyway, ya got a name?" The girl looked at him with prying eyes.
"Yeah, Matt Yoshi."
End Flashback...
"MATTHEW YOSHI?!" screamed Karma, gasping. Pyro nodded.
"That'd be me!" he said, holding his hands behind his head.
"Did you...?"
"Wait wait wait. I'm still lost here," interjected Ludwig as he tapped his head vivaciously. "I don't recall you."
"It's 'cause you remember him as a Yoshi. Not as a Boo," answered Teela to Pyro's amazement. Either she picked up really quick, or was a really good guesser.
Wow, she did her homework.
"... The only thing that's coming to me is-" Ludwig stopped and crossed his arms. With a quick jerk of his head, he indicated that it was the bandana.
"... Remember way back when? In Dinosaur Land?" Pyro asked. Ludwig gave a sharp nod.
"Yes, I remember that."
"Good. Remember that kid you met in the Forest of Illusion, six or seven years ago?" At these words, a rush of memories filled Ludwig.
Flashback...
Ludwig walked on, outside the Forest of Illusion. The breeze of Chocolate Island filled his nose, infatuating him with the scent of sweets. "It's days like these that I hope we keep these lands forever," he said to himself as he tromped towards a warp pipe. He clambered up it and dove in while thinking of an excuse to tell his father for running to the forest without his permission.
...
Ludwig popped out of the pipe in the Valley of Bowser, and immediately sidled against the castle wall. His only chance of getting inside his house, which was awaiting the plumbers' arrival and heavily guarded, would be to send some sort of grapple hook up. Thinking back to the previous escapade in the Forest of Illusion, he sighed. "That cloth would've made a perfect rope."
"Ludwig?" said a voice behind him. Ludwig felt a shiver down his spine, but still turned around and looked up. Luckily, he didn't see his father, nor his mother, but a very short Koopa with a green circus ball.
"Lemmy! Perfect timing! Gimme that ball!" said Ludwig, grabbing at the ball. Unfortunately, Lemmy was more athletic than Ludwig, and he kept the ball away from the eldest Koopaling easily.
"No! Ludwig, Momma is asleep! She's still got the baby in her, remember?" Lemmy said as he attained balance on the ball. Ludwig merely hushed him.
"But Lemmy, I could make a nice rope with that rubber!" he moaned, but Lemmy still shook his head. Ludwig turned his head down and crossed his arms, but jerked it back up abruptly. "Ok then. Now, if you have a better idea, I suggest you share it with me. Otherwise, you'll be helping me make an excuse for being in the forest. IN THE DUNGEON!!" he screamed, and the young Koopa fell off the ball. "Yes, if I go to the dungeon, I'll tell Queen Mom that you were out with me! But I won't if you give me your ball. It's a win-win situation for me, my brother." Ludwig crossed his arms as Lemmy picked himself up.
"... You're mean," he said, handing Ludwig the ball. Just as Ludwig got it, he stuck his razor-sharp claws in it, popping it.
At that moment, something snapped within Lemmy's young and innocent mind.
"KING DAD!!! LUDWIG IS BACK FROM THE FOREST OF ILLUSION!!!" he screamed, tearstricken as Ludwig dropped the deflated ball and turned in Lemmy's direction.
"Lemmy, you idiot!! Why'd yo-" At that moment, Ludwig felt a snort of warm breath on his shoulder. It was carrying malice and anger, and as soon as Ludwig turned around, he fell victim to shortness of breath.
"Why don't you start?" said Bowser Koopa, picking Ludwig up by the shell and eyeing him malevolently. Ludwig gulped, but knew he had to think on his feet.
"I couldn't take Queen Mom's moaning."
"Clawdia's been asleep all day." He worked his throat, and coughed up a small ember. "Strike one." Ludwig's eyes were fixed on Lemmy's face, as he picked up the remains of his ball.
"Lemmy was annoying me. I couldn't do anyth-"
"Lemmy just offered you his ball. Don't think I wasn't watching." Once again, he worked his throat, but this time blew enough fire on the ground to burn a large bush. "Strike two. Careful not to strike out."
"... Okay. I ran out to get some air..." he muttered as Bowser picked his teeth out of boredom and tightened his grip. "But I ran into this Yoshi, and he gave me some trouble. If he hadn't caught me off guard, I woulda torched him," he said, pointing to the small amounts of dirt on him from when the boy tackled him. Bowser put him back on the ground and crossed his arms.
"For telling me the truth, you don't get a punishment." Ludwig sighed, much to Lemmy's grief. Bowser continued, "But for lying twice, you get a day in the dungeon. Now go before I extend it."
End Flashback...
"Yoshi boy?!" Ludwig said, snapping out of his meditative state.
"Yep. But now, I've changed my name. Pyroboo!" He smirked, as Ludwig and Karma felt more at ease. It felt like they were seeing an old friend once again, but he seemed like a total stranger.
"What happened?" Ludwig started, but Karma stamped on his foot. He emitted a yelp, and Pyro laughed.
"Sorry about Moron of the Month over here," apologized Karma as Ludwig sneered and cradled his foot.
"Don't be!" He smiled warmly, and then continued. "I just changed a bit over the years."
"... Wow. I still remember that day you came to Silverleaf..." Karma murmered. Pyro nodded, and took a sniff in the air. He cocked his head over to Karma.
"You're lilac-" he took another sniff and turned to Ludwig, "-and you're ice."
"What?" Karma and Ludwig both asked simultaniously. Pyro obviously didn't hear them, turning to Teela.
"She's the friend?" Pyro asked, pointing back to Karma.
"Uh huh," Teela answered, giving Pyro his bandana back.
"What?" asked Karma, scratching her head. Pyro smirked, and pulled his wristbands tight.
"Ever heard of the Light and Darkness?" Pyro asked, with a bit of boastfulness revealing itself in his voice. Karma looked at Ludwig, but he shook his head and shrugged.
"Does this ring any bells?" Pyro said, igniting his hands with a bit of greenish fire. Both Karma and Ludwig looked awestruck, but were still preplexed.
"How about this?"
Teela said, glowing white. With the same amazement and
confusion, they
were still lost. Ludwig had a look of ignorance and obsession on his face,
trying to comprehend what they just did. Karma crossed her arms, thinking.
"... Maybe I've read on it. Probably have..." she said, turning back to the castle. "The place has a huge library. Me and Ludey here are the only ones who use it, though."
The sunlight shined on Ludwig as he twidled his thumbs. "I know I've heard about that before... I'd have to look into it."
"Hmm... Maybe we should too. Could we...?" Teela asked, motioning towards Kastle Koopa. Ludwig was hesitant, but Karma answered for him.
"Feel free," she said, leading the three of them to the steps overlooking the moat. Ludwig slowly swung the great iron doors open as Chirpy tweeted above, and they advanced inside the Keep.
Inside, a gloomy castle interior loomed over the five of them. The foyer was quite commodious and abstract, with several chandeliers hanging from the never-ending ceiling, and countless statues of a gigantic, monochromatic Koopa with a sardonic appearance.
After making their way down a long, maroon carpet, the four found themselves at the foot of a surfeit amount of stairs. Ludwig and Karma seemed to be used to the endless steps, while Pyro and Chirpy could just fly up the stairs. Teela seemed to be tortured by each step she took, only because she was deprived of food. This was also true for Pyro, and he was floating with an exhausted look on his face, despite being able to levitate. Chirpy, on the other hand, was perfectly capable of eating wild berries and leaves, so he had much spry under his wings.
"Okay... Right here," Ludwig said, reaching the top. Karma followed, and the winded duo of Teela and Pyro crawled up. An almost empty hall stood before them, only showing two large doors. Karma walked up to the massive doors casually, and knocked a few times. The giant doors rumbled and opened, revealing a gigantic library!
"Woah! Look at that!" Pyro said, marveling at the ginormous shelves. They all advanced in, and Ludwig got to work immediately as he tore several books off their respective shelves, muttering their titles. Karma took one book down at a time, licked a finger, and shuffled through a few pages. Teela picked books up, scanned the table of contents within, and threw them aside. Pyro flew high up, skimmed the titles, but found nothing. This seemed to drag on for hours...
...
"Gotcha!" Karma said, jabbing a page. Everyone gathered around her, and she started to read aloud. "Darkness is the root of every living thing. It lurks within its-" She stopped, flipped the page, but squinted. "Well that's weird. The rest is gibberish." She sighed, sounding defeated. "Who puts two different languages in a book?" Ludwig, though, seemed to still be interested in the book.
"That's Latin."
"Huh?" the three of them said, looking at Ludwig. He nodded, and gently took the book from Karma.
"Yeah, this is ancient Latin... I think I can read some of it, though," he said, squinting harder.
"Well, give it a shot," Teela urged, with Karma and Pyro nodding in agreement. Ludwig nodded as well, leering at the tiny text.
"-electus ones. Is est adversus of Luminarium, in totus vires quod infirmitas." He stopped, and looked at it again. "'Electus' is 'chosen'. I trust we know what 'ones' means..." He looked back up, seeing three faces filled with interest. "So, Darkness lurks within the strongest of what?" The three others shrugged. "Is est adversus of Luminarium, in totus vires quod infirmitas. Is tantum addo chaos. Obscurum eram nunquam volo ut futurus." He ended and closed the book. "'I haven't the slightest hope with 'Is est adversus of Luminarium'. But 'in totus vires'... 'Defies fate'."
"Defies... fate?" Pyro interrupted, as everyone looked at him. "... Never mind me. Go on."
"'Quod infirmitas' means 'in every way'. I have no clue what 'Is tantum addo' means, but that's chaos. The last sentence... I can get some of it. 'Obscurum eram volo'... Darkness was never supposed... something."
Pyro felt queasy. Is this an omen? A wave of Darkness swam through him, and he started to feel doubtful. "... I get it now," he started, as Ludwig, Teela, and Karma turned to him. "I understand what the demon said. I am Darkness... But Darkness was never supposed..." He stopped, and looked to Ludwig. "Are you sure you can't read 'ut futurus'?
"Ut is to. That's all I know." He stopped and raised an eyebrow. "But why don't you let us know who this 'demon' person is?" Ludwig started, putting the book back onto the shelf. Pyro could feel the Darkness pulse through his body. It was his truth. It was the present, past, and future. It was all he was. It was all that was left.
"... I am him."