“Erm… Thanks?” Pyro said, inching away from the kneeling guard. The large Koopa’s scythe glistened in the light. Uneasy, Pyroboo advanced into the next room, his eyes not averting from the large Koopa.
“Take care in every step, my lord.”
…
Pyroboo took a couple steps inside the room. It was enormous! Potions and cauldrons were plentiful, along with hundreds of towering devices and machines. He stared in awe as he stumbled around the huge domain. Could Kamek be this impressive?
Just then, a voice echoed.
“Mi’lord? Mi’lord? Is that you I am sensing?”
“… Are you Kamek?” Pyro said in response, looking for a source for the voice. Its eerie sound chimed again.
“Oh, it is you! After all these years, you’ve returned!” It laughed. Suddenly, the room got windy, and a hooded, blue figure materialized in the distance. No sooner did it take two steps before teleporting in front of Pyroboo, scaring him half to death.
“AHHH! DON’T DO THAT!” screamed Pyroboo, jumping back three feet. The figure chuckled, and removed its hood, revealing a very decrepit and wrinkled Koopa. In his hand, he clenched a wand with strange markings on it, and ridiculously large spectacles hid his eyes.
The old man started even closer to him, holding out his hand. He then started talking very strangely. “Qua have vos attaras totus illa annus? Ego sum sic laetus video vidi visum vos!”
Pyro stared blankly, even more confused than before. Kamek also stared, but laughed as soon as he figured out what was going on. “Ahh, what a shame. I see you didn’t carry on his traits during the Great Traverse. Well, no matter.”
“Wait… Great Traverse? What are you talking about? Anyway, I’ve come to-”
“I’m saying… Ah, I’ll explain later.” He tapped his head, but then a smile crept across his withered face. “Instead of procrastinating, why don’t I just show you instead!” He stuck out his index and middle fingers and touched them to Pyro’s forehead. Pyro felt a sinking feeling as his body was lifted with Kamek’s. The two of them rose high in the air and suddenly teleported.
…
A light flashed as Pyro and Kamek touched the ground. Kamek took his fingers off Pyro’s head. “Ah, well, here we are.”
“Why are we in the Realm of the Dark?” asked Pyro, remembering the familiar stink of Darkness. Kamek smiled.
“You have your past to face here.”
“I know! Matt Yoshi usually meets me here…”
“Yes, and it is he who knows what I mean. You must seek him out.”
Pyroboo was mortified. “NO WAY! All he ever does is harass me about Darkness! And he can only know as much as I can… Right?
“No, he knows much more than you do. He also remembers farther back, my friend. If you learn what I’m talking about, come back and we can chat some more.” Kamek finished, fading into the distance.
“… Wait! How do I get out of here?! And what does remembering have to do with anything?! My memories are crystal clear!” Pyro yelled, but there was no answer. He looked around, and saw the familiar nothingness. Thinking to himself, he pondered, I should just get this over with. He’s bound to show up at some point.
“All right Matt, come out! … I need your help.”
There was no response.
“COME OUT, YOU LITTLE WORM!” Pyro screamed at the top of his lungs, expelling a little bit of Darkness. His eyes were closed, horrified by what he was doing. He was actually calling Matthew for help.
“My, my, such terrible words,” said a chilling voice in response. Pyro looked behind him, and about arm's length away stood Matthew Yoshi. “So tell me, did the old man send you?”
“Do you think I’d call for you on my own terms?” scoffed Pyro, tightening his wristbands nervously. “I came here because I need to know something that you obviously know. Kamek wouldn't let me tell him Ludwig needed help from that scar you gave him!”
“Hahahahahaha! Yes, that was from me...” Matt retorted, fixing his robes. “But do you really think I will willingly tell you anything? You have deliberately chosen to defy the Darkness and myself several times, yet you still wield the power? You are a disgrace and traitor to everything Dark!”
“I’m a disgrace?! Look at yourself! I don’t see why you’re so evil! I was never that way! Do you even know the difference between good and evil?!” Pyro spat, looking at Matt scornfully.
The Yoshi merely laughed. “I do know the difference, I just don’t care,” he replied, focusing the Darkness inside him. He started to glow an eerie purple. “I only require power, and only that. Anyone who stands in my way will be destroyed!” Matt screeched, putting his hand over his head. A pink energy ball was produced. Pyroboo, seeing this, was overcome with fear, but stood his ground nonetheless.
“What is that?!” Pyro eyed the energy sphere in horror, and jumped back several feet. Matt just laughed, and continued charging up.
“You think running will help?! You tried to search for the truth! MY TRUTH! IN THAT, YOU TURNED YOUR BACK ON THE DARKNESS!” Matt screamed, pointing the ball at Pyro. “GENOCIDE BLAST!”
Pyro ran as fast as he could as the ball exploded into millions of smaller beams, all chasing him. But just as a beam was about to hit Pyro, something snapped.
“GRAAAHHH!!!” Pyro bellowed, turning around and knocking the blast away with his hand. Swallowing himself in Darkness, his eyes turned red and his body glistened purple, just like Matthew’s. Small amounts of red bioelectricity emitted off him as he deflected the closest blast. With small flicks of his wrist, he deflected the beams with ease. Matt’s confident expression was soon withered away into a look of hate. Pyro was dodging and blocking with ease.
Just as Matt was about to run out of power, Pyro teleported behind him and lifted his hand. Clapping his hands together violently, he conjured a circle of raw energy. Matt turned around and ceased fire, long enough for him to jump back and get into a blocking position. Pyroboo then screamed in dual voice.
“KILL DRIVER!”
The blast exploded as it hit Matthew with deadly accuracy. The immediate area was engulfed in a wall of green flames. Matt stumbled to his feet and shot a huge cannon of Darkness at Pyro. Pyroboo countered with his own blast, and the force of the shots created an eruption of fire.
When the flames calmed, Matt was gripping his left shoulder, gasping for breath. He squinted, saying, “I… guess you aren’t just talk.” With that, he powered down. Pyro, however, still was brimming with Darkness.
“I didn’t know you could access Dark Mode… I commend you for such a feat. But then again… Pyroboo Yoshi isn’t here right now, is he?” Matt asked, brushing some dirt off himself.
Pyroboo nodded, and spoke up in the same two voices as before, one, Pyro’s own voice, and another one that sounded like how an older Ludwig might sound. “You’re right. This is not Pyroboo Yoshi. This is King Morton Koopa I.”
“I should have
guessed.”
"I thought you might have recognized me," King Morton said, bearing Pyro's teeth and flashing the Boo's fangs. Huge amounts of Darkness were emitting off Morton's vessel, Pyroboo. Matt clamped his jaws together angrily.
"I'd recognize that Darkness miles away. A kind that rivals my own..." Matt's eyes had a brilliant look to them, unlike the usual tenebrous clouds that covered the deep cerulean pupils. "Well, its not very pleasant, but one monster of a surprise to see that you’re still alive, in a reincarnated sense."
"You of all people should know the saving graces that Dark holds for its users," Morton replied, extending Pyro's left hand. "Look at the boy, he lived beyond death because he embraced this power... this never-ending strength... Unfortunately for him, I just happen to be a side effect.
"Unfortunately for me, more like it. You nearly killed me back there... But that's what you want, isn't it?" Matt laughed, fixing his robe. "Heh, what's to be expected from a dumb turtle? You’re all just foolish warmongers that don't know when to quit."
Morton's eyes flashed. "You'd better hold your tongue when talking about my people, or I won't hold back." He stared Matt down, but then turned around. His focus was directed toward another matter. "I'll deal with you later..."
"You're running?!" Matt screeched, feeling dishonored. "So much for The Great Traverse Conquistador!"
Morton looked back, and placed his right hand to Pyro's temple. "You're lucky I don't end you where you stand. However, I have a grandson that needs medical attention. In the meantime, I suggest you lift all your burdens, because I will be back to kill you," the king said, and then teleported away, leaving Matthew in the realm of the Dark.
"We'll see who kills whom..."
...
"Uhh... Hrghh... What the..." Pyro looked up. He saw the familiar, cold, white walls and stainless steel mechas within the confines of Ludwig's room. Apparently, he was laying in the hammock. "What am I doing here?"
"Just a little longer..." grunted an old voice belonging to Kamek. When Pyro awoke, he saw that sitting on Ludwig's bed were Teela, Karma, and Kamek. Standing was Ludwig, and Kamek was performing a spell on Ludwig's arm. When Pyroboo came to, Teela instantly felt his Darkness, and looked back.
"Oi, you!" she said, vaulting over the bed and clamping him in a deep hug. She felt surprisingly warm, which lifted Pyro's depressing spirits. "We thought you were dead!"
"Yeah, where have you been, kid?" Karma said, running over and embracing Pyro. "We missed you back here."
"You... missed me?" Pyro replied, holding Karma and Teela tight. "I couldn't have been gone for more than fifteen minutes!" Although Pyro was weirded out by this, it felt good to be missed. A feeling of usefulness overcame him.
"Hey!" Ludwig said, looking over to Pyro and waving his free arm. Kamek seemed to be intensely focused on curing Ludwig's ailment. "Fifteen minutes? You've been out for a good three hours! And you went through this freaky convulsion and personality change..."
"... What are you talking about?" Pyro said, finally tearing away from Teela and Karma. "I'm pretty sure I don't have epilepsy, so you’re wrong, I didn't have a fit. I just remember blacking out... Uhm..." He thought deep and hard. All he could see was a flashing pink light coming up from behind him, and then his memories were fuzzy from that point on. He tried to remember, but at that point it was getting tortuous, so he ceased. "I can't really see anything... It’s a blur."
"Well, y'know you must have taken one really hard to the head..." Ludwig mumbled, wincing every time Kamek hit a soft spot. "And you kept muttering some rubbish nobody could underst- Oh, would you go easier?!" Ludwig barked in an annoyed tone at Kamek.
The old Magikoopa merely scoffed. "Unless you want half of this Darkness Scar on your arm, I suggest you shut your trap," Kamek said, and mumbled something under his breath about the "younger generation".
Pyroboo looked back at his hands, which were colored a deep charcoal hue. As he brushed them off, he was deeply burdened by the fact that he couldn't remember how he got back, or what had transpired in the Dark Realm. A cold wind swept into the room from the vacant window, making the Boo shiver. Shaking his head, he turned to Kamek, who was tying a bandage around Ludwig's arm.
"There, that should do it!" squawked the old Koopa, smirking at his work as he wiped his sweated brow. "Just don't do anything strenuous for a week or two; it can't take much stress," he advised, as Ludwig smiled widely and cranked his arm. Looking back, Kamek saw Pyro, who had a deep, hypnotic look on his face. The Magikoopa strutted over to him and tapped him on the head. Pyro looked up. "Child, come with me," he ordered, flicking his wand at the door, which swung open. Pyro merely nodded, and got up. Everyone looked at the two, but Pyro gave them all a reassuring nod.
"Three minutes tops, guys," he said as he and Kamek walked out of the room. The normally well-lit hallway was now dank and lucid, only the torches that illuminated it were in the hallway. He looked to Kamek, who merely signaled him to go northward. Pyro followed with some hesitation. "... You wanted to see me?"
Kamek pulled out a pipe, with insignias of triangles with circles in them imprinted all over it. With a snap of his fingers, the pipe started smoking, and Kamek stuck it in his aging, wrinkled muzzle. "You know, you aren't ready to fight him, and I don't know what in DAD's name could make you think you could fight," he grunted. Pyroboo looked over to the old Koopa. His long cloak flapped around his worn shoes. He flicked out his wand, muttering, "Morpha caliva." With that, a mist evaporated from the wand, and formed an odd-looking swirl. Pyroboo faltered a bit, but Kamek signaled for him to keep pace. The old wizard had not broken step since he left the room. The swirl started to twist and transfigure itself into an orange image of fire.
"The Darkness is a peculiar thing," Kamek started, fixing his glasses. Pyro could see two red slits for eyes when the flash from Kamek's spectacles momentarily dimmed. "It differs from other powers because it can assume several shapes. Light can as well. That is why the two are named similarly and often associated with one another." Kamek slashed the air with his wand, and the flame turned to a purple ice. "People say that Darkness' true form is fire."
"That makes sense," Pyro indicated, floating and stumbling to keep up with Kamek's surprisingly brisk pace. "When I use it, it usually appears in flames."
"Right, right," Kamek said, pointing his wand at the ice. "Darkness always seems to have a reputation for lying." Pyroboo looked confounded. Kamek whipped at the ice, which turned into a fine, black water. "It can assume several shapes and forms, but it almost always has one drawback: its scent," Kamek said. "The scent of Darkness is always foul, and smells different to each one who produces it. I don't know what Matthew did to Prince Ludwig, but whatever it was, it smelled disgusting."
The wizard stopped abruptly, inches away from two tremendous doors. Kamek pulled out his wand and murmured, "Caliva absentis." The smoke disappeared, leaving a cool breeze in the room. Kamek looked at Pyroboo, and announced to some unknown person or thing, "Everas, evanesca!" The doors blasted open, revealing the large and roomy balcony. It seemed a zephyr was occurring at the time, and thunder streaked across the skies as it mingled with the torrent of rain. Kamek rid himself of his pipe, stepped up the small stairway, held out a hand and asked, "Will you be joining me?"