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The Crystal Bane of Cruelex

By Arim

Lemmy's resolution echoed throughout space.

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Lemmy: WAAAHHH!!!

Lemmy Koopa sprang up from his bed. Sweat filled his forehead. He was on his comfy bed in Castle Koopa.

Lemmy: W-what?! Invasion! Plit! Crulex! … Giga Bowser!!!

Lemmy wanted to stay in his bed forever. He wanted to think it was all a dream. But it was all so… so real. He had had dreams that were quite realistic, but this was different, much more than a simple dream. He leapt onto his ball and walked (rolled) to the halls. Everything was normal, Ludwig shut in his room, Morton giving speeches to everything he saw, Roy "playing" with Iggy, Iggy receiving  a severe pounding, Wendy thr-

Lemmy: Iggy!!!

Lemmy was ecstatic to see Iggy. He thought Iggy was dead.

Iggy: Hey, you seem like I died and suddenly reappeared again.

Lemmy: You did!

Roy: So, party boy! You come for a beatin´ too?

Lemmy: Uh, no thanks?

Roy: Too bad! Whamo!

Lemmy: Ugh!!!

Lemmy and Iggy ran away from Roy and hid in the attic.

Lemmy: Same ol´ bully.

Iggy: …

Lemmy: Well, I think we lost ´im.

Iggy: Indeed.

Lemmy: Huh?

Iggy´s eyes glowed a pale red.

Iggy: You think it is over, Koopa, yet you cannot see the inevitable. The inevitability of my complete wrath.

With that, Iggy turned and walked off. Lemmy knew exactly who it was and, terrified, he fainted on the spot.

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Lemmy Koopa woke up to the sound of crickets chirping. He was in the attic. He thought about what Iggy said. This couldn´t be a joke. Lemmy walked off from the attic. He looked at a grandfather clock in the hall and saw it was 11:00. Everything was very dark and gloomy. He walked past Ludwig's room, it was quiet. He walked past Morton´s room, it was quiet. He walked past Iggy´s room, it was quiet. He walked past Larry´s room, and heard strange noises coming from inside, like the ruffling of paper. Lemmy pressed his ear against the door and heard a strange murmuring voice from inside. He tried the knob carefully and silently, it turned. It was then he realized how terrified he was. He thought there was nothing to fear, yet the feeling did not leave him. The young Koopaling gathered all the courage he could muster and turned the knob. He then pulled slowly, very slowly. Inside, he saw Larry Koopa sitting on his desk with his back turned to Lemmy. The lights were turned off and only the moonlight gave a small brightness through the window, still, it only made the room more terrifying. Lemmy quietly walked towards his sibling. Then, Larry whispered something very, very quietly. Just enough for Lemmy to barely make out what Larry was saying, something so terrifying, that Lemmy would have fainted again on the spot.

Larry: My dominion is almost complete, Koopa, yet you come back… you are powerless to stop me.

Larry did not turn around. Lemmy was completely terrified and wanted to scream, but no sound came from his vocal chords. He just slowly turned around and noiselessly made his way to the door. He slowly and quietly closed the door then raced across the hall and into his room.

Lemmy: *pant… pant… wheeze*

Lemmy Koopa jumped onto his bed and pulled the mattress over his head, then entered a deep slumber.

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Lemmy woke up next day in his bed. He looked out the window and it was night. He looked at his clock and it read 7:00. He then walked down the hall towards the throne room. It was gloomy and deserted. He was scared but did not know why. Actually he did know why.

Lemmy: What's happening to me?

Lemmy made his way towards Bowser´s room. Bowser would be hopping mad, but something, an unknown force seemed to pull him towards that part of the castle. He entered King Bowser´s chamber. But the Koopa King wasn’t there. Instead, Clawdia was staring through a window. Lemmy walked to where she was.

Lemmy: M-mom?

Clawdia: Yes, dear?

Lemmy: Why is it so dark, if it´s only 7?

Clawdia: It´s alright, dear, soon we will all be united under his rule.

Lemmy: W-w-who?

Clawdia: I´m sure he will be a fine leader.

Lemmy: Who?

Clawdia: It is only a matter of time, before his dominion is complete.

Lemmy: WHO?!

But this time, he got no answer. Clawdia only stared into space at the window. Lemmy backed away and ran back to his room. In his room he saw Lemmy playing with some toys.

Lemmy1: What the?!

Lemmy2: I wanna join a circus.

Lemmy1 ran at high speed towards the castle´s door and sped off into the night. He was running at high speed towards the Mushroom Kingdom.

Lemmy: This… can´t… be… happening!

Then Lemmy hit a sharp twig and it popped his ball.

Ball: POP!

Lemmy: AUGH!

Lemmy stumbled towards his destination. He didn´t know what he was doing, but if his home continued to be the infernal place it was, then… it would be better to be with the Marios. As he ran, he thought back on the couple of days since the-

Lemmy: AUGH!!!

Lemmy had stumbled on a tree root. He looked at his bleeding toe. He tried to get up but it seemed like the gravitational pull had just gotten six times stronger. He tried pulling himself towards his goal, but his arms were, to his amazement, numb.

Lemmy: WHY ME?!

Lemmy then heard the wind howl, the rustling of a tree´s leaves, and a strange voice behind him.

???: Why me, eh? Well, Koopa, you may not notice it, but  my complete dominion is a plan that involves much more than the traditional ways you are familiar with.

Lemmy very well knew who it was. That "well, Koopa" was unmistakable. But he turned around nevertheless.

Lemmy: CRUELEX!!!

Cruelex: Your life has ended, Koopa
As well as your hope
You shall suffer
And then you shall see
The clear definition
Of torture and pain!

Lemmy´s mind raced, it seemed like he couldn´t move any part of his body. He thought he would die, so he asked a question to delay his fate.

Lemmy: What will you do to me? Just shoot me?

Cruelex: Alas! My method of torture it is not. It would be far too easy on you. For you do not know, you are already doomed. Doomed to stay in a realm where night prevails for all eternity, doomed to stay in a realm where you are nothing. For you are slowly withering away to nothing.

And at that Cruelex disappeared. Lemmy thought about what was just communicated to him. Maybe Cruelex was right, all the people he had talked to seemed almost spectral, and there even was another Lemmy in HIS OWN room! Maybe the other Lemmy would take his place as King Bowser´s son! NO! Lemmy got up. His energy was back, and he raced towards the Mushroom Kingdom. He had complete control to run off to any part of Plit. He wanted to see if all of Plit was consumed in this wretched state. He had a hard time walking but he didn´t care. Soon he was in front of Mushroom Kingdom’s gates. The gate was completely totaled except that one of the gate´s doors was barely hanging by a thread on the hinge. As Lemmy walked over to it, it fell with a clang. The place was deserted and the only different color from the blackness of the night was the dim red of the land. It was a barren wasteland. At Lemmy´s right he saw the Marios´ pad, the house where his former enemies lived. The house was a pitiful sight. It was burned to a crisp, to a sickly brown. Lemmy decided to check out the little house on his right, the Marios´ house. He stopped at the door. The house´s roof had a large hole. The door was so burned and rotton that a young Goomba would have been able to make it fall with a kick. Lemmy´s hand trembled as he reached for the doorknob. He turned it slowly and the door just fell off.

Lemmy: Oops…

As Lemmy saw the inside of the house his eyes widened. Inside was a small kitchen, with small table with two chairs, and on those two chairs were a red and a green figure. Lemmy´s eyes widened even more. Their clothes were burned, but it still had a hint of their trademark color.

Lemmy: M-Mario?

Lemmy stepped closer to the two zombie-like figures. They were indeed Mario and Luigi.

Mario: Must… have… -a lasagna…

Luigi: And if you refuse we shall… take it… by… force…

Mario: For he is… the supreme… ruler…

Lemmy did a double take. This was unbelievable. With fear in his eyes, he dashed out the door. The figures were not following him, but he was scared nevertheless. Meanwhile, in a huge gloomy castle barely eight miles away from Mushroom Castle, Cruelex was watching Lemmy from a crystal ball.

Cruelex: Pathetic, is it not?

His reply came from a chained figure behind him.

???: Leave the poor kid alone!

Cruelex: Since when do I follow your orders, Geglash?

Geglash: Leave ´im alone! He’s innocent!

Cruelex: Do you not remember? In my rule, Innocence is a petty crime.

Geglash: ”%&!

Cruelex: And I have not hurt him one bit. I never will. After all, you know I am a peaceful sort.

Geglash: Peaceful my !&($·! You know that you never hurt physically. You hurt emotionally. ”$&&$!

Cruelex: My, dirty language, hm? Perhaps you need some more of you-know-what.

Geglash: No! I´m sorry! Don´t! Anything but that!