Hello world! J-Yoshi64 here with my very first fic ever! Yay me. You may now scream in terror. Or squeal in delight. Preferably the latter. But, in all honesty, you can react however you want.

Summary: Dark Land is under siege. The castle, attacked. The royal family, broken and separated. Join Ludwig, Lemmy, and Roy as they struggle to protect their younger siblings, all in the name of a single, solemn promise. Rated T to for violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING affiliated with ANYTHING in the Mario series. If I did, then things would be a LOT different. Rights go to Nintendo.


Chapter 1: Steel-Eyed Wish


A small airship cruised through the night sky. In the pilot's seat of the craft's cockpit was a somewhat burly, purple-shelled Koopa of royal descent.

Roy Koopa wanted to make the transport fly as fast as it could, but that would cause a sonic boom. And Roy wanted to attract as little attention — Preferably NO attention, he thought bitterly — to himself as possible.

Roy glanced back at the two small, limp forms on the passenger seat immediately behind him. Securely fastened to the seat, were Lawrence Koopa and Bowser Koopa Jr. His baby brothers. Battered, bruised, and unconscious.

Either that or they're dead.

Roy violently cringed and bit his tongue till it bled, putting a swift end to that horrific thought. He kept his teeth pressed down on his tongue, reprimanding himself for allowing such a thought to intrude. NO. They're alive, and they're STAYING that way! I swore long ago I'd protect them. I won't let my family's trust in me be for nothing!

Only after having passed over almost six lands did Roy allow himself to release some of his tension, if only by a small amount. With his baby brothers' lives in the balance, relaxation was Roy's mortal enemy. That, and the coward who had attacked his homeland, forced his family to retreat from their own home, separated them, and left Larry and Junior — and who knew how many others? — in their current state.

I just wish I knew what we were running from, Roy thought as he switched the airship into autopilot. He got off his chair and went to check on his brothers. He didn't get to properly check on them during the chaos of their flight from the castle. The third eldest had his own share of wounds, but they were minor, and so he put all his attention on his baby brothers' needs. Now as he laid his covered ruby eyes on the two youngest princes, Roy felt a mixture of emotions boil in his heart.

Both of their bodies were riddled cuts and scratches, varying in size and depth. Bruises horribly discolored their yellow flesh. Bowser Junior's right leg had a deep gash running from his hip to just above the ankle, still bleeding. Quickly but carefully, Roy removed Junior's cherished bandanna from around his neck, intending to stem the blood flow. His head drooped slightly as he realized the square piece of cloth wouldn't work with its current proportions.

Sorry, bro, I know how much you love this thing. But this is for your own good, Roy thought grimly as he tore the bandanna into four even rectangles. He then kneeled down and tightly wound the strips of ruined cloth around Junior's leg, each one lower than the previous. The purple-shelled Koopa sighed as he stood back up. Bowser Junior's leg wasn't the only bleeding injury, but it was one that called for more attention. At least, of the wounds that were visible.

Crap! What if he has internal injuries!? I can't treat any of that! And what about under the shell!? Roy's thoughts were in a panic. He hated feeling this useless. It didn't help that his brothers weren't doing any better than when the airship took off. And that he didn't even know the fates of his other siblings. Or that of his father. Feeling tears pricking at the edges of his eyes, the temperamental Koopa furiously rubbed them away. I can't go weak, especially not now. So Roy went on to the second youngest.

Larry wasn't much better off than his younger brother. A rather large and ugly bruise covered the left side of his head, obscuring his blue star birthmark. His once bright blue hair now stuck to the right side of his forehead, caked with dried blood, and covering his right eye. Roy absentmindedly reached to brush the hair aside so he could see both of his second baby brother's twinkling blue eyes, either forgetting or disregarding the fact that both eyes were shut. When he brushed the red-stained hair aside, Roy jerked his hand back with an uncontainable gasp. Larry's right eye was practically one hideous bruise. His green-skinned head was now an atrocious purple, and not the deep, royal purple of Roy's own shell. This shade reminded the strong Dragon-Koopa of the noxious fumes that plagued certain areas in Dark Land. And now it was defiling his little brother's face. Roy inhaled sharply to contain his growing rage.

He looked down at the rest of Larry's body. Roy's eyes widened behind his shades. The two upper plates of Larry's plastron had a large crack running through both of them. Fractured shells were very dangerous for Dragon-Koopas, but that usually wasn't a problem in the castle because of the many Magikoopas with healing spells at their disposal. But Kamek nor any other knowledgeable spell caster was available in current circumstances.

Which means… baby bro is gonna need… surgery, Roy swallowed bile that threatened to erupt from his throat and onto his brother. He shuddered and took deep breaths before moving on.

Roy sighed in relief, however faint that relief may have been; the rest of Larry's body didn't seem to be as critical as his head and shell. He was about to turn back to the controls when something else caught his eye: the awkward angle at which Larry's right arm hung. Uncertainty gripping his heart once more, Roy moved in for further diagnosis. As Roy lifted the limp appendage, he felt the bones in the forearm shift. A growl rumbled in his throat. Broken. Larry's arm was broken. The older prince cursed under his breath. He was going to have to make a splint. Roy carefully removed the spiked wrist cuff from Larry's left wrist, and then slid the other cuff farther up his right forearm. After he had done this, Roy slid both cuffs onto the broken arm, vigilantly welding them together with his fire breath. The purple Koopaling hoped this would suffice as an effective makeshift splint.

Roy searched for more to do for a full minute. Fully realizing that this was the extent of his ability, Roy sighed in defeat and slipped back to the pilot's seat. After sitting down, he sighed dejectedly again and brought a clawed hand up to rub his temple. Roy grimaced as his hand made contact with a bruise in that very area of his head. He noticed his vision blurring as well.

I'm in no condition to fly this ship if I have a concussion. I'm probably of little use to my brothers, too. Roy did a retake on that thought. How did I get us this far with a concussion?

A gentle voice echoed from his memory. "Adrenaline. Fear. You'd be surprised at what people can do." He scratched his head to think more only to flinch as pain flared up a second time.

Right. Bruise. Concussion. Bruise. I should probably put some ice on that. Roy glanced worryingly over to his still-unconscious baby brothers, reluctant to leave them. I'll get some for them, too.

Roy exited the cockpit and made his way to the small ship's mess hall. Roy opened the mini fridge in the kitchen and thanked the stars when he saw it chockfull of ice packs. He picked up five. Roy placed one pack on his bruise immediately and, for a moment, basked in the cool relief it offered.

Aren't you forgetting someone? a voice teased. It was much harsher than the gentle voice from before.

The voice startled Roy out of his trance. Shaking his head chidingly for stupidly forgetting his duty, the Koopaling stepped towards the hallway.

Beep…Beep…Beep…

Roy turned toward the fridge again, where the new noise had seemed to originate. He walked over to the appliance.

Beep…Beep…Beep…

No, now the noise came from behind the fridge. Roy set the ice packs down and pushed the cooling unit to the side. His handiwork revealed a spiny blue Koopa shell, just like the kind used in kart racing. Unlike those shells, however, this one had several wires running through and around it. Roy recognized this wiring from a picture one of Iggy Koopa's books, which the latter had obnoxiously shoved in his face once to show him. Roy remembered that after the brief moment of annoyance, he had honestly found interest in the strangely depicted weapon. The slender Koopa had then proceeded to explain what the item was called in that state, as well as its capabilities. Even now his immediate younger brother's words echoed in Roy's mind: "When BlueShells are wired like this, they become Nuclear Shells. Now these things are extremely dangerous. The blast radius is tripled and the energy released increases in power exponentially. It completely obliterates anything within range."

Beep…Beep…Beep…

The beeping noise was coming from the shell. Roy looked at its side where the sound was loudest. His eyes widened when he saw a timer counting down. It now read 00:17.

Roy cursed loudly and bolted toward the door, barely noticing yet another nuclear shell in the hallway. A quick sideways glance told him the other rooms had their share of rigged explosives, which were beeping away, counting down to destruction. Roy ran back to the cockpit.

00:15

Roy didn't have time to gasp when he saw two Nuclear Shells shoved underneath the passenger seat in which his brothers lay. He was too busy running to the emergency supply kit by the main controls. Roy had barely opened the compartment when he grabbed the lone Cape Feather stashed inside. Then he took out a large wrench. Roy looked from airship's windshield, to the wrench, and back again. Then, with a loud grunt, the strong Koopa mightily flung the heavy tool at the glass. And through it. A good-sized hole was now in the windshield, a spider web of cracks surrounding it.

00:10

Roy ran back to his little brothers and quickly unfastened them from the seat. Before taking them off the chair, he donned the Cape Feather and felt its effects, i.e. a cape. Then he hoisted the two younger ones, one under each arm. Roy turned back toward the bow of the ship. He paused to quickly tucked Larry and Bowser Jr. into their shells to ensure them more safety. Looking up, royal Koopa hardened his gaze, and he charged head-on toward the broken windshield, roaring.

00:04

Roy put his right shoulder forward and clutched both his siblings to his left side.

00:03

The burly Koopaling leapt and shut his eyes as he braced for impact.

00:02

Roy collided with glass, and he smashed right through it. Then he let gravity pull him towards the earth.

00:01

Roy pulled Larry and Bowser to his chest and wrapped himself around them as thoroughly as he could in an attempt to shield them should the three falling princes be caught in the blast radius of at least six nuclear shells.

00:00

A deafening explosion filled the night. Roy had to shut his eyes against the blinding light that seemed to engulf everything around him, in spite of his dark glasses. He felt heat radiate onto his backside. But he felt nothing other than that. Roy had at least expected debris to rain down on him. But there was nothing but searing heat bombarding him. As the light and heat faded, Iggy Koopa's words echoed in his mind again: "It completely obliterates."

That was it, then. The airship had been utterly vaporized, leaving no trace of its existence.

That could have been us, Roy thought as he held his little brothers even closer to his plastron. That many Nuclear Shells was definitely overkill. He tried to take a breath to calm his nerves, but the air rushing upwards into him made breathing difficult. Soon, though, that wouldn't be a problem, as his cape would catch the air and make like a hang glider. Any moment now…

Nothing happened. Roy glanced upward and cursed at what he saw. The cape was tattered from the trip through broken glass. Their only lifeline was now useless. Roy wouldn't make it. His brothers wouldn't make it. The brothers whom he had sworn four years ago to protect.

No. They'll survive. I'll see to that till the end, Roy told himself. He shrugged of the ruined cape and twisted around in their descent to face the starry sky. And if I die here so they can get their place on the throne, I can live with that.

At that thought, Roy centered all of his attention towards the stars. Toward one star. The star that was actually, unbeknownst to Roy, the galaxy that had been created in the aftermath of his father's attempt to rule the universe. With a steel gaze set on it, Roy sent a multitude of wishes for the well-being of Lawrence Koopa and Bowser Koopa Jr. towards that small beacon of light amidst the cosmos. And for the sixty-fourth and final wish for them, he wished a portion of his own soul to be sent to the stars to watch over his family.

After he had done this, Roy clutched the two smaller princes, still in their shells, more firmly to his chest than ever. Then the large Koopaling curled up as tightly as he could around his still-unconscious siblings. But he kept his hardened eyes on his father's galaxy. Through the faint reflection his sunglasses offered, Roy could see the unforgiving ground rushing up to greet him. Yes, "him".

Not them. Just me. I'll protect them till the end. I swear it. I'll take the blunt of the landing. Hopefully all of it.

Mere moments from impact, Roy whispered a final choked "Goodbye" to his father, his brothers, and his sister. As he said this farewell, he let a single droplet of moisture escape from behind his eyelid.

Pink-rimmed carapace met cold hard soil with a sickening thud, and Roy knew no more.


HOLD IT! Drop the torches and pitchforks! If this was going to be a deathfic, I would have said so in the summary. I promise (pun not intended).

So, what did you think? Was it good? Was it bad? Should I ditch this writing gig and go back to being just a reviewer? Do you mind if I use turtle anatomy to name the plastron (front of the shell) and carapace (back of the shell)? Should I bolt the door and stock up on Starmen in case Bowser comes after me for doing this to his children? Feedback is always nice, you know. Especially for that last question lol. I like my life, thank you very much :P

*loud knock at door*

EEP! TOO LATE!

*while running away from a very, very angry Dragon-Koopa* Read and Revieeeeeew!