Hmmm, well I already mentioned my opinion on the Pirate specials on the PM I sent earlier (that poor piggy), but... To further elaborate:

I loved when they buried Tory in the sand and he was struggling to get out! I also liked the "walk or run in the rain" experiment, the exploding toilet, and the "driving in reverse in snow" one. But I believe my favorite episodes were anything to do with animals, like cockroaches surviving a nuclear Holocaust and the duck quack echo. Ooooo! Ooooo! And the ninja special!!! Watching the attempts to walk on water was awesome!!

*pokes* Hey, everybody. I know I've been on and off on this site, but truthfully, this RP is one of the main reasons I still come here. And I've noticed an utter lack of activity the past few months. Is everyone still interested here?

Now, I'm not the GM, so you don't have to acknowledge me or this little concern I have. But it will put me a bit at ease to know if this RP is still considered active. :unsure:

This is my first and main fanfic in the Super Mario Bros. category and my next big project in my writing. I don't expect a lot of people here to be interested in it (it is a LBT forum, after all), but I decided to share regardless.

Summary: Bowser needs more soldiers, so he orders a raid on Koopa Village. Follow an unfortunate Paratroopa as he's kidnapped and forced to join the ranks. Will he be able to find a way back home or will he give in to his fate?

Without further ado, here's the first chapter:

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Prologue

" 'Support your King. Join Bowser's Koopa Troop, or else...'. Well, ain't that nice." a green-shelled Paratroopa muttered to his red-shelled counterpart, fluttering in front of the Daily News bulletin board. In front of them was an ad that was recently put up by a pair of Hammer Bros., who in turn stayed posted on either side of the board to make sure every passing Koopa saw the message. It was clear by the larger Koopas' irritated expressions that they thought they could be doing something better with their time, their negative attitudes made clearer when the red-shelled Paratroopa turned his attention to one of them.

"Does Bowser have anything specific in mind when he says 'or else'?" he asked with a joking grin. Not amused in the slightest, the regarded Hammer Bro. crossed his arms and glared hatefully at the sarcastic Koopa.

"Yeah, he meant that he'll tear off those wings of yours and barbeque them for dinner."

"That's pleasant. Thank you..." The green-shelled replied with another, almost-inaudible mutter. Covering his own sarcasm with a beam, he then nudged his companion as a signal that it was time to go. "We'll keep those rather threatening words in mind and we'll definitely consider joining the army." As the two Paratroopas fluttered off, the green-shelled rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. "As if that will ever happen."

"How much do you think that job pays?" the red-shelled asked playfully, his comrade giving him a scolding look.

"Seriously, Pip? You're really considering that?"

"Not really, I'm just curious." Pip responded.

"Knowing that no-good tyrant, you'll probably be paid nothing."

"Yeah, you probably right." Seeing his accomplice was still looking bothered, he laughed and gave the other Koopa a punch on the shoulder. "Lighten up, Flit. Nothing those evil Koopas can do can make me choose them over family."

Hearing the reassuring words of his younger brother, Flit grinned and returned the punch-on-the-shoulder gesture, a little harder than necessary. "Race ya to the house!" Giving little time for reaction, his wings beat faster and he sped up ahead. Pip didn't bother wasting time to voice his protest at this unfair head-start; it'll only lose precious time! Forcing his wings to go as fast as they could, he chased after his brother towards their home. He had no chance of winning fairly, he knew. His brother always won whatever contest they engaged in. So he developed something to at least give him a chance.

Turning off course, he flew for a shortcut he often took advantage of whenever his mother got him to do errands. He only had a short time; Koopa Village was not a very large community and who knows how far his brother has gotten! He just hoped this little cheat will work.

"Hey!" Flit exclaimed as his younger sibling zoomed in and cut him off. That little cheater! Putting more 'umph' into his own wings, he tried to overtake his brother, just as the house came into view. Certain of his victory, Pip closed his eyes and dove for the usually-open door...

CRASH!!! THUD! CRASH!!! BOOM!

Jumping in startlement, Mrs. Paratroopa rushed to the door and opened it, blinking as she looked down at her two groaning sons.

"The door was closed..." Flit mumbled dazedly.

"Why was it closed...?" Pip added in his own stunned state.

"I'm sorry, boys." Mrs. Paratroopa said with a sheepish smile as she helped her soon recovering offspring get back to their shaky feet. "I closed the door due to our... 'out-of-town visitors'."

"Fair enough..." both boys responded as they stumbled inside the house, rubbing the bumps on their heads tenderly. Watching their mom walk off to grab some ice packs for them, the two teenage Koopas flopped onto the couch, shoving each other a bit for some comfortable room. When their mother returned and placed the ice packs on each her children's heads, they noticed she looked rather bothered.

"Mom, what's up?" Flit asked in concern, wincing a bit as he shifted his cold pack more securely.

"Nothing." she answered, glancing towards the window. "Just worried."

"About what?" Pip inquired in turn, wondering what would get their usually mellow and laid-back mother all riled up. It made him and his brother worry, naturally protective of their parent. They watched as their mother moved closer to the window, staring in the general direction of the Daily News bulletin. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, she answered, the feathers on her wings fluffing up a bit in some kind of aggravation.

"About those Hammer Bro. ruffians. No good can come when King Koopa's soldiers pays a visit to this little village."

Hearing the cause for her concern, Pip and Flit put on their most reassuring smiles.

"It'll be alright, Mom. They'll be gone soon." Flit started.

"Yeah. There's nothing to worry about. I mean, what's the worst they can do?" Pip added. Mrs. Paratroopa hesitated, still staring out the window before looking to her sons. It took a good long moment for her to override her caution enough to take her children's words into consideration. Although she'd like to believe them, her instincts told her that things were not to be taken so lightly.

The two boys certainly said nothing about the threatening words told to them earlier. No need to add fuel to their mother's paranoia. Surely, the 'or else' part of the ad was just a bluff...


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"King Bowser is not going to be pleased." Impacto muttered to his companion as they watched yet another group of nervous Koopa Troopas retreat from the bulletin board. Eyes scanning the nearby houses, they saw other Koopas locking up their homes and some fearfully glancing at them from their windows. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that this village was panicked of their presence and that none of them was interested in helping their terrifying king.

"Well, what could he expect when he sends us to this village of cowards?" Crash responded, crossing his arms. "We don't call these Koopa's traitors for nothing."

For it was common knowledge that not all Koopas believed in what their king was doing and that they left Bowser's kingdom to set up their own village. They mostly kept to themselves, but when the situation called for it, they would always side with the enemy: the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. Heck, this same village have assisted that no-good plumber, Mario, in some of his adventures. It made them, and a lot of the other Bowser-loyal Koopas, sick. This village was lucky nothing bad happened to it...yet.

Bowser has been getting impatient with this small community as of late. He needed more soldiers, more followers to fight and defend against those two mustached humans. This must've been the tenth time these past few months that visits had been made to Koopa Village to try and sway the opinions of the town-goers. As usual, it wasn't working. Fine, let the locals learn the hard way...

"They've been warned. Let's go."

As the lights of the town dimmed out, the two Hammer Bros. left their post to return to the castle with the news. They had stayed for as long as three days as ordered, with nothing to show for it in the end. The villagers probably thought the threatening 'or else' in the ad was a bluff. Knowing their king, this little settlement will regret calling that bluff by morning.

END OF PROLOGUE

The next two chapters have already been written out, but I'm not gonna rush, in case someone out there's interested in reading this...

A fanfic that I wrote primarily cuz Pangaea expressed some interest in reading it!  Of course, this story is for all to enjoy! It centers around my OC characters introduced in my fanart thread as well as guest-starring the Domehead trio from my other fanfic, Guilty Until Proven Innocent.

This was originally supposed to be a One-shot but it was starting to get too long, so I divided it into two parts. This is Part 1! Enjoy!

-~-

A small Crawler crept along the dry, crusty ground, its feelers waving about as it searched for sustenance in the form of food and water. But its search was in vain, as it has always been for several Cold Times now. Clicking softly with a flutter of its wings, it began digging into the hardened ground as best it could. Using its head as a shovel, it didn't see the approach of an ominous shadow and when it did remove its face from the dirt, it was too late. The ground around it suddenly churned in a violent fashion, and it found itself half-buried in a matter of seconds. Thrashing all six little legs, it tried pull itself free and fly off, but there was to be no escape as the ground continued to heave.

Finding itself buried completely, it squeaked in panic and put all the more effort into its struggles; it couldn't give up. It still had a lot of things to live for and new lands to explore! Flaring its hardened wing cases to help leverage it against the dirt around it, it pulled and tugged before finally hitting open air. The violent heaving was still going on and it was just about to be buried again before it felt something coming up under it. It barely had any time to react before it was thrown up into the air, its wings reflexively spreading open and buzzing to carry their dazed owner away from the Swallowing Dirt.

Stygia shook her head a bit as she pulled her snout from the ground, hardly paying any attention to the Buzzing Crawler that she had inadvertently terrorized. She just spotted the little critter digging and thought it had found something worthwhile. But it appears that wasn't the case. Discouraged and hungry, the young Spiky Domehead (Stygimoloch) looked about the barren landscape and sighed as her arms and tail went limp.

It has been several days since the Great Earthshake happened and there were still no signs of her herd and family, no matter how much time she dedicated in searching for them. All around her was nothing but depressing bad lands and her loud, high-pitched calls merely echoed through said landscape without any response from her kin. She was close to giving up…

Letting out one last broken cry for family contact, she kept her gaze on the ground as she wandered off in a random direction. Her stomach was grumbling and aching, her body was growing listless and tired, her mind felt like it was on the verge of snapping, and her mood was depressing. She already figured out that the chances of finding her mother, father, and siblings was incredibly low, and she also knew that she better get used to being alone from now on.

But she didn't wanna be alone! She was only a kid, barely reaching the Age of Great Growing. She was much too young and small to survive in such a harsh environment. Her parents had taught her some skills to find her own food and make her own living, but her lessons weren't the least bit complete. In desperation, she's been attempting to self-teach herself, like digging wherever the Crawlers and Fuzzers dig in the hopes of finding something to help. It hasn't worked so far and it was dampening her spirits.

Acknowledging the setting of the Bright Circle, Stygia reluctantly prepared for yet another cold and lonely night. Her hind claws scrapped out a make-shift nest, removing the hard surface in favor of the softer dirt below, and she gingerly laid herself in the small depression. Wrapping her tail around herself and resting her head on her arms, she watched as the Bright Circle disappeared and the sky darkened with only Lesser Lights to provide a weak silver glow over the landscape.

Feeling rumbles through the earth, the young dinosaur glanced over to see a passing herd of Threehorns quite a distance away. Her heart fell as she watched the herd go about their business and travels, the young hatchlings playing with each other and their parents. A soft whimper came from Stygia's throat and she forced herself to look away as tears began welling up in her eyes.

Snuggling her nose into her tail, she couldn't block out the distant voices and giggles from the youngsters and she choked, sobbing even when the herd moved far enough away to become undetectable. She wanted so badly to join that herd, but she knew it would be unacceptable. Her parents always told her to avoid other species, that it wasn't the way of things and most other dinosaurs weren't friendly at all. So she knew that if she had attempted to join with them, their inevitable rejection would only make her feel worse…

Closing her eyes, her shaking body calmed down as her tears dried up, allowing the young Spiky Domehead to fall into an uneasy sleep.


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There was a scent in the air, gently drifting with the morning wind. Stygia's nostrils twitched and her sleepy mind drowsily attempted to analyze it. It smelled… almost like her own kind. Instantly, she was wide awake and she stood up eagerly. Her kind? Nearby?! It could be her herd! But, her elation was short-lived upon closer inspection of the scent. It wasn't the smell of her own kind, but it was incredibly close. She's never smelled it before and it confused her.

Reasoning it out, she assumed the scent was coming from a dinosaur closely related to her kind. Well, her parents never told her to avoid other Domeheads (in fact, she never recalled them speaking about other Domehead species at all), and whoever was letting off this scent was close enough to satisfy her need for familiar company. Besides, after last night's emotional break-down, she's willing to settle with anything. Shaking her body to warm it up a bit, she left her temporary nest behind as she began following the smell upwind.

She never done this before, sniffing out another creature; it seemed too much like a sharptooth activity and besides, she never really had to do such a thing before. But it didn't matter now, her mind was only occupied with finding the source of the scent. And it seemed she was doing a great job, as she found her first clue: footprints, from three individual dinosaurs. They were like hers, but with sharper claw points and a much larger size. Wow, whoever made these prints were even bigger than her parents! She sniffed a foothole before curiously placing her own foot within it. Her little foot was dwarfed.

Nervousness slithered its way into her mind and she gulped down a lump in her throat. Did she really wanna see what giant creature made these prints? The answer was yes. If they were fellow Domeheads of some kind, then how bad could they be? Finding confidence in that, Stygia followed the prints as quickly as she could, eager to incorporate herself once more in a herd.

It took a few moments to find what she was looking for and upon seeing them, she paused. It was a trio of large dinosaurs in various shades of grey. It seemed to comprise of a black-colored female, a dark grey male, and a larger paler grey male, whom was no doubt the leader of the group. Looking at the basic body structure and the distinctive shapes of their skulls, she knew they were indeed Domeheads of some sort. They looked rather strange as they lacked the spikes she was so used to seeing and their muzzles only sported two nosehorns, as opposed to having horns completely covering the tops of their snouts.

They were asleep at this moment of time and Stygia kept her distance, unsure whether she should wake them or not. Maybe it'll be best to just wait, as she didn't wanna aggravate them as a first introduction. So, she circled them slowly, digging at the ground for anything to eat in order to keep herself busy. It was when the Bright Circle began peeking from the horizon that movement made itself known within the trio.

The smaller male gave a yawn and opened his eyes, stretching a bit before giving a few grooming licks on the female's muzzle. This woke her up in turn and their general movement stirred the largest male. Stygia stayed still and quiet, not wanting to startle them in their sleepy state and her heart practically stopped when the pale grey male stood up to full size. Now that they weren't curled up, they looked a lot bigger than she first thought. They must've been about four times her size! It took a lot of determination for her to stand her ground. They were fellow Domeheads, so she had nothing to worry about…

The smaller male spotted her and nudged their leader. "Cepher, we have company." He spoke up and this 'Cepher' glanced over at his companion before turning his attention to her. Stygia knew now was the time to act and she tried to pull herself together to make her introduction pleasant. Keeping herself low in submission, she offered as kind a smile as she could.

"Hi. I'm Stygia. I'm a Spiky Domehead." She greeted.

"I can see that," Cepher responded with a sneer and Stygia hesitated, wondering if she did something wrong. Maybe he's just cranky; he did just wake up, after all… "What're you doing in our territory?!" Or maybe not...

"Uh…" Stygia was taken aback by the hostilities, but reasoned that it was normal when a new member tries to join a herd. "I was separated from my family…. And I kinda thought that-"

"Awww, the little pipsqueak wants to make friends with us." Cepher hissed in malicious amusement as his companions chuckled darkly.

"How deliciously cute, and stupid." The female added, eyeing their potential breakfast. She's small, but a lot bigger than their usual hatchling prey. And in this harsh time, that fact was most welcome as the trio beginning to circle her. Stygia began feeling fear creeping into her system and she cleared her throat as she looked from one of the three to the other. It was obvious to her that they weren't warming up to the idea of a new addition, but maybe she could convince them to give her a chance.

"I know I don't look like much, but-"

"'But' nothing. You just plain don't look like much." The smaller male mocked before looking to Cepher with a smirk that only made Stygia's apprehension worse. "Practice time?"

"You know it is." The leader of the group responded, kicking up some dirt. Stygia knew what that gesture meant and she whimpered, backing up a few steps. They were going to attack her and she had to appease them and quick!

"Well… If you guys want me to go, then I guess I'll just…you know…be on my way." She muttered, hearing the menacing growls from each of the larger dinosaurs.

"Go ahead and run, little one," Cepher replied with a sinister look that clearly communicated that he and his companions would love nothing more than to tear her apart. "It'll only make this more fun."

A thoroughly horrified Stygia knew that her attempts to appeal to them was NOT doing any good and she felt instinct take hold of her body, turning tail and dashing off as fast as she could. She instantly heard the larger dinosaurs giving chase, and her panic only got stronger when she knew they were catching up to her at a terrifying pace. The youngster attempted the zig-zagging technique, as it has saved her from several attacks from Fast Biters in the past.

But evading her attackers wasn't going to be that easy, as the small male and the female ran on either side of her, keeping her from utilizing her technique to full efficiency. Her instinct-driven body wasn't giving up though and she attempted to make a sharp turn, hopefully having enough speed to zip passed one of the Domeheads before they could stop her. However, the turn itself was not merciful and although her tail flicked in the right direction for a balanced change of course, the hard ground below her feet didn't cooperate nearly as well.

The thin layer of loose gravel slipped under her strides, and she felt her feet slide out from under her. Falling with a yelp, she tried to stand and resume her retreat in a panicked scramble, but it was no use as she felt an impact into her side. Crying out in pain, she felt her body skid along the ground and she came to a rest with a groan. Shakily, feeling a bit dazed, she pushed herself up on all fours before another impact came from her other side before she could recover enough to even properly stand.

Feeling tears pour from her eyes, she again tried to stand but she didn't get nearly as far as she did before. A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see Cepher glowering down at her. Shaking uncontrollably, she could do nothing as he leaned down and wedged his snout under her little body, his nosehorns digging into her flesh as he did so. Stygia was confused at first as to his intentions, but it soon dawned on her and her sobs only got stronger.

"No! Nononono! Please, don-" Her words were cut off as she was flung into the air, screaming the entire time she was airborne. Her body reflexively made efforts to right itself and to make a proper landing, but it was in vain as the smaller male leapt up and slammed his skull relentlessly into her flailing little body. Shrieking with everything her voice had to offer, her cry was cut short as the female Domehead made a final leap, this impact smashing the youngster into the ground.

Coughing up blood as the larger female backed off with a snicker, Stygia felt incredible pain with each breath, curling up in agony as her attackers' laughter echoed through her head. Being a Domehead, her body was made for impact, but not from opponents several times her size. Besides, Stygia never had to endure this before. Her kind don't really butt heads on a regular basis, preferring to display the multiple horns ornamenting their domes instead. Only sharpteeth would know what it's like to feel a headbutt from a Spiky Domehead, and even then, that was when running wasn't an option.

"Anyone keeping score?" she heard the smaller male chortle and another wave of terror washed over her. This wasn't just a hostile and angry encounter; these three were having fun doing this to her! What has she gotten herself into?! Her body rushing with a new surge of adrenaline, her pain was temporarily numbed as she scrambled up and took off as fast as her injured body would physically allow.

The three Domeheads immediately gave chase and Stygia saw the edges of her vision going black, forcing her to focus only on what's in front of her. Her heart was pounding so loudly that it became the only sound she could hear, and she didn't even know if she was still being pursued. That was answered when another pain slashed down her body, too great for her fear to mask. She also felt claws sinking into her flanks and dragging her to the ground. Screeching, she made the first move of true aggression her mild-mannered personality ever allowed.

Turning on her attacker, she lowered her head in an attempt to drive her horns into skin. Her attacker, the female she noticed, immediately jumped back to avoid harm and Stygia got back to her feet. Facing the trio, she instinctively kicked up dirt and waved her head in warning, fully displaying her defensive weapons. However, it wasn't having the desired effect as Cepher casted a glance at his companions with an amused smirk on his snout.

"How precious! She actually thinks she can fight!" The other two cracked up as their leader stepped forward, apparently accepting her 'challenge' as he in turn kicked up dirt. Stygia was much too frightened to be aware of she was doing; she just wanted to get out of this alive! And if it meant fighting for her life, then so be it!

Giving a loud bugle, she charged head-on, bracing herself for impact. But it didn't come as Cepher sidestepped the rookie and slashed down her body as she ran passed. Stygia cried out and stumbled, barely keeping her footing so she can make another reckless and fear-fueled charge at him. This time, the larger Domehead charged back, colliding with the much-smaller creature with his head low enough to avoid the horns. The impact was way too much for little Stygia and she was thrown back, landing on her back against the hard and unforgiving ground.

More sadistic laughter rang through her ears as she tried to recover as quickly as she could. But her body was unresponsive as the trio walked over to her. She felt a foot nudge her agonized body and she could only manage a whimper in response.

"Is the game over already?" she heard the smaller male pipe up and she felt a kick on her body, forcing her to roll onto her front.

"It's not over until I say it is," Came Cepher's voice, and she felt a horned snout push against her shoulder. "Get up, you little disgrace!"

Giving a pained moan in response, Stygia almost didn't wanna get up. She knew if she did, it'll only bring more pain and torment. But if she did nothing, she would essentially be giving up and she had no intentions of dying like this. And so, against her body's will, she forced herself to get to her feet, struggling to gain balance before making her legs go forward in as best a run as she could pull off.

She heard pleasured growls from the 'playful' Domeheads as they began chasing her again. She knew they could catch her and kill her whenever they wanted, that she meant nothing to them but to be their toy. And this toy was losing steam as she felt her legs turning pulpy and harder to move, the pain that she was once able to ignore now the only thing she could think of.

She was going to die, gonna die a slow and agonizing death… from creatures that was so closely related to her. She came to them hoping for safety and company and now… She didn't know how much longer she could keep it up and she felt like she would pass out at any moment.

But hope was not all lost when she spotted another dinosaur in the distance. It was a four-footer and very low to the ground, no doubt a Leaf Eater. But then again, she's now learning that 'Leaf Eater' does not always equal 'harmless'. Doesn't matter, she was desperate for any potential help and she stumbled towards the unknown dinosaur as fast as she could.

Toni didn't notice the drama happening nearby, focused on sniffing for water before the sound of footfalls made her look up. The instant she did, she saw a blood-covered little dinosaur collapse at her feet, breaths heaving and body broken. Eyes wide, the Sharptail (Gastonia) didn't know how to react for a moment, ears straining when the small critter muttered.

"H…help me…please…"

Looking up, Toni saw three Domeheads skid to a stop a safe distance in front of her and piecing the situation together, she made her decision. It was an extreme taboo to interact and assist a member of another species, but she wasn't the kind of dinosaur to heartlessly subject a helpless creature to greater torment. And so, she stepped over the youngster protectively, the blades along the side of her tail rattling against each other as she waved the dangerous limb in threat.

The Domeheads looked at each other before glaring at her, the largest one hissing out his words. "Back off, Ground Prickly. That thing belongs to us."

"I dun think so!" Toni replied with a scoff. "You three had enough fun, so why don't you go back where you came from before I get a whoopin' on ya!"

There was a moment of silence as the Domeheads blinked and stared at the defiant little critter. Sharptails were actually very rare to come across around here, and the trio has only seen them once or twice from a distance. But this was the first time they've encountered one up close and personal and they weren't too sure how to react. This creature was fully-grown but very small, only a few feet longer than their toy and actually a little bit shorter in height. But the Sharptail was insanely armored and pointy on all sides and more. If they wanted to reclaim their play-thing, they would have to be careful.

Finally, after a long moment of contemplation, Cepher snorted. "What does she matter to you anyway? She's not even your own kind." he spat, attempting to get the Sharptail to see how stupid she was being and surrender the nearly-unconscious prey item before things got bloody.

Toni glared at the much larger dinosaur before casting a glance to the little dinosaur she was protecting. Despite Cepher's intentions, Toni knew the answer very well and she spoke smoothly and defiantly. "That's true, but she's still a living, feeling creature and a child. To leave her in your merciless claws to be tortured is a cruelty I'm utterly incapable of."

This got a growling huff in response from Cepher and he looked over to his companions, nodding them towards the uncooperative Sharptail. If she wanted to make this difficult, then so be it. Pacia and Rus moved forward, each circling the other dinosaur in opposite directions. They've done something like this before, though usually as a game in itself rather than a territorial need to reclaim what they felt was theirs. On many occasions, the trio has teased many a Clubtail, Spiketail, and Threehorn with this method, mocking the well-defended dinosaurs for their slowness. This one will be no different; just distract her enough to grab their toy and retreat.

Toni braced her body, tail swishing with more menacing rattles, keeping split second tabs on all three Domeheads. She recognized this move from Fast Biters and she knew she was well protected from all directions. But it wasn't her she was to be worried about and that would make it a bit tricky, especially since the young one was too large to properly shield. But she had no doubt that she could handle it.

"Bring it, ya thickheads..." Toni muttered under her breath, snapping her attention to the female Domehead when she lunged and reacting by throwing her shoulders towards the larger Leaf Eater. Pacia stopped just outta range, smirking as Rus took advantage of Toni's brief distraction by lunging himself, intent on grabbing the injured child. However, Toni caught his movement and her tail swung right at him. The male jumped clean over the tail before throwing himself backwards before he could be hit with the backlash.

The Sharptail snorted before looking towards Cepher as he charged. Tensing, she lowered her head to meet the impact, wincing as the much larger dinosaur slammed his skull into hers. Luckily, her head was armored and it too was designed for impact, though it was still very painful when said impact came from a giant Domehead rather than an equal sized member of her own kind. Grunting, Toni felt her paws engraving furrows into the ground as Cepher pushed her back.

Stygia whimpered as she felt Toni's forelegs press against her torn body, opening her eyes but unable to do anything herself. The Sharptail struggled to stay where she was, her front paws instinctively replacing themselves on the opposite side of the unfortunate youngster so as not to step on her. But it also worked against her, as there was nothing more to further leverage herself on. She was simply too small to properly hold her ground, the much larger and stronger dinosaur forcing her back enough to reach out and sink his claws into his much tinier relative.

The little Spiky Domehead felt the claws bite into her skin and she screamed in a mixture of pain and pure terror. Instantly, she gathered what little of her strength she had left to struggle and this distracted Cepher just enough for Toni to jerked herself aside and swing her tail at the enemy. Cepher reflexively jumped back, releasing Stygia's body so as not to slow himself down. Whimpering, Stygia curled up as tightly as she could as Toni resumed her defensive position over her, earning snarls from the aggressors. Glaring at each other, the two opposing forces took a moment to contemplate their next move.

Finally, Cepher flicked his tail as some unseen cue and he began circling the Sharptail, Pacia and Rus ready for their opportunity. Kicking up some dirt, Cepher lunged and then jumped back when Toni lashed out defensively. Growling in a taunting pleasure, the lead Domehead continued to make several mock-charges. Toni stayed ready with each false attack before glancing towards the other two, starting to think that the largest Leaf Eater was only trying to distract her with these charges. But unfortunately, it wasn't the charges that would be the distraction. Seeing her eyes flick towards his two companions, Cepher took advantage to make a true charge, his sights set on the Sharptail's soft underbelly. Within an instant, he shot out an arm, stabbed his claws into her stomach, and ripped four bleeding gashes across the skin before retreating a safe distance.

Toni cried out at the unexpected pain, stepping away from the offending Leaf Eater before glaring heatedly at him and charging back at him, tucking her head down and hunching her shoulders as if intent on impaling him on her spikes. Cepher smirked as he stayed one step ahead of the smaller and slower dinosaur, Pacia and Rus snickering as they hurried towards the defenseless youngster. Stygia saw this and tried to force herself to retreat, but she couldn't even stand on all fours before the two Domeheads grabbed hold of her. She let out another scream, her voice cracking, and she thrashed about, vaguely hoping to earn time to be rescued. Toni realized what was happening and gave herself a severe mental reprimand, turning away from Cepher and hurrying to save the young one.

Pacia and Rus saw her charge and they both began to retreat with their prize clasped in their grip. But Stygia wasn't about to give in to her fate, and she turned her head enough to sink her sharper teeth into the female Domehead's arm. Pacia wasn't expecting the bite from such a weak creature and she let go with a cry. Unfortunately for Stygia, Rus wasn't so pleased with this at all. Despite his companion's cry being one of startlement rather than pain, he made the rash decision to bite into Stygia in retaliation, shaking viciously in an effort to silence their shrieking toy. It didn't go as planned as Stygia only cried louder and within an instant, Toni stopped short of the Domehead and turned to swing her tail.

"Rus! Look out!" Both Cepher and Pacia called out, but it was too late. The tail slammed into his flanks, the blades easily cutting into his skin. With a shriek of pain, Rus let go of Stygia just as he took another hit. Stumbling as he tried to keep his balance, the small male immediately made efforts to back away, earning more injuries down his body as Toni continued to strike at him. Upon achieving freedom from the pain, Rus collapsed to his hands and knees, his companions rushing to his side to help him back to his feet.

Toni rattled her tail again, feeling that her message has been well-received. She didn't really want to have had to resort to that, but she knew it had to be done. Hunkering down protectively over little Stygia in her original position, she kept all her attention on the trio in case they needed some more 'convincing'. The Domeheads kept their own attention on their comrade, allowing the wounded male to lean on them for support before gaining enough stability to stand on his own two feet.

"I'm alright..." he muttered to them in assurance, wincing heavily as he shook out his bleeding body. Seeing the wounds were not fatal and would only need time to heal, Cepher returned his glaring eyes to the Sharptail, whom was still hovering over their toy/breakfast like it was a life-line. Stupid creature. Casting a glance at Rus, he knew it would be unwise to continue, lest he risk further injury to his companions and himself. Let her have that Spiky Domehead disgrace. The day was young and there was plenty of other Leaf Eaters to play with and hatchlings to eat.

And so, with nothing more than a snort, Cepher turned his back on the Sharptail and walked away, Pacia and Rus glaring death at Toni before following their leader, the latter with a very pronounced limp. Watching as the Domeheads eventually disappeared from sight, Toni smirked in triumph before backing off of little Stygia, sniffing the young one with a soft nudge of her snout to see if she was awake/alive. The child whimpered in pain at the nudge before turning her big, tear-filled eyes on her rescuer.

Sniffling, she managed to choke out a couple words with the greatest amount of sincerity that she could ever recall using. "T-Thank...you..."

Toni smiled very softly in return, giving a nod before asking what she knew had to be asked. "What happened?"

Stygia paused for a moment, trying to get her thoughts together through her agony. Attempting to speak through her tears, her voice was soft and as broken as her blood-covered body. "...I...I got seperated from my f-family... I...thought those three would be my friends..." Her torn body began to shake violently as she broke down, burying her face into the dirt underneath her. "But...they..." Her words disappeared under a heavy blanket of sobs, and Toni felt her sympathy strengthen. She felt a conflict on how to react: on one paw, she instinctively wanted to comfort the little one with perhaps a nuzzle or a careful hug; on the other paw, it was against tradition and culture to do such a thing.

Torn, Toni decided to keep her distance for now and waited for the young one to calm down. "Shhhh... It's okay. Everything's alright now." she said softly and a bit uncomfortably, as this wasn't a situation she regularly found herself in. But her awkward attempts seemed to be working a bit, as Stygia eventually stopped shaking and after a few moments, she turned her tear-filled gaze back to the Sharptail.

"You...You're not gonna...leave me...are you?" she asked, her voice quivering with fear at the prospect of being left to fend for herself in this condition. Now that the trio was gone, the Sharptail might decide that she wasn't obligated to stick around any longer. And her heart only continued to sink as Toni shifted her eyes away for a brief instant, obviously conflicted as to how to respond. Finally, the Sharptail muttered softly with a small comforting smile.

"No. Someone has to protect you until you're better." She took a few steps away at a distance usually typical between two different species and she settled down, wincing as her injuries reminded her of their presence with a spike of pain. But she made no further acknowledgement of her wounds as she looked back at her temporary companion. "Rest up now, kiddo. You're safe."

Stygia felt a great wave of gratitude, as well as a sense of strangeness. Her attempts to befriend her closest relatives ended in complete and utter disaster and yet, this completely different Leaf Eater was showing exactly what behavior she was hoping for. Sure, it was obvious Toni felt uncomfortable interacting with her like this, but that was natural given the norm of dinosaur society. Managing the first smile since her frightful encounter, the youngster carefully tucked her nose under her tail and fell into the pain-free oblivion of unconsciousness.

END OF PART ONE

Part two has been partially done. Hopefully my obsession with Super Mario Bros. will allow me to complete it Special thanks to DarkHouhoumon for letting me use her LBT name for Gastonia! And another thanks to Pangy, who gave me the motivation to write this to begin with

Anywho, I hoped you guys like this!

Ooh, who's the Chomper replacement character? I don't recall you sharing anything about him/her yet.

Yeah, he's been given the oh-so-creative name as Biter and he's been casted aside cuz I literally had nothing for him to do; his only purpose is to replace Chomper in my imagination. But I drew him, even if it was with very little effort on my part !



I have NO idea what species he's supposed to be. He's the same type of sharptooth as those that made a brief cameo in the beginning of LBT 4. They looked kinda like the raptors that also appeared in the same movie's intro hunting a ceratopsian, but they had stripes, was a darker tone of blue, and a close look showed they lacked a 'killer claw' on their feet. So they were some other small, pack-hunting predator... *shrugs*

He's also the only OC replacement character that stayed the same age as the character he's meant to replace! Just a fun little fact!

Anywho, until now, I never knew what to do with him. Him joining the gang won't really work, as Tero would NEVER let him get too close (another difference between Tero and the Domehead trio is that Tero wouldn't kill a hatchling, even if the hatchling's a sharptooth, so Chomper would be safe from physical harm if he ever met him). But I can probably conjure up some way to develop Tero's character towards sharpteeth via Biter.....Now if only I can think of something...

Heh, he also turned out a brighter blue than I anticipated, but I like it!

Ooh, sorry about that. Just to be safe, maybe you should be careful not to be eating or drinking anything when you read one of my comments. I don't think I could live with myself if I unwittingly killed you for real.

  It's okay. I see choking on food/drinks via laughing as a good thing!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised…owls are the masters of the "feather fluff bluff".

Ooooo! I saw an owl a few days ago!! It was like 5 in the morning, I was sitting on a bus-stop bench when this beautiful barn owl flew by, probably about 10 feet in front of me! It was soooooo friggin' AWESOME!!

You mean the pose in picture #1 or #2? I know a real Archaeopteryx would most likely have its wings folded at its sides (a little more like #1), but #2 would be pretty good for when he was bringing an arm forward to gesture or grasp something.

I meant picture #2, but you do bring up a good point. If only they showed a perching archie in the LBT, then it'd be a bit easier for me! I bet Teryx would look adorable with his wings folded to his side.

Yeah, they’re just too much fun. I agree, though. I’d love to see more pictures of your other characters. I especially think you should draw a few more pictures of Cookie. When I was drawing your star day card, the only reference I could find for Cookie’s appearance and colors was the “Typical Day” picture. Which reminds me: even though I drew a picture of Cookie nomming on a cookie, I’d still like to see you do a version of that concept. Maybe Cookie caught in the act of emptying an entire cookie jar.

I do have an old sketch of Cookie, you know back when I was making my character's debut pictures. But I never finished it (outlining and coloring has yet to be done), and even if I do finish, it isn't very well-drawn and my confidence in the pic is pretty low. :unsure:

And you can definitely count on me doing that cookie jar picture! Even if I suck at drawing Swimmers, it's just too cute to pass up on! Epecially since that star-day card is such an inspiration!

Oh, hold on…I just had another idea for a picture that led to a whole explosion of ideas. It would be a scene of the entire band in the kitchen baking cookies: Clubbie has stuck balls of cookie dough to his spikes in place of his usual fruit (perhaps he has placed some of the dough balls onto baking trays and is attempting to use his club to flatten them out, resulting in dented trays ); a moment earlier, Teryx managed to stick an entire bowl full of cookie dough on Tero’s head, and Tero (now with the bowl over his dome like a hat and cookie dough oozing out over his head) is now retaliating, having trapped Teryx inside an upturned metal pot (perhaps with his tail sticking out) which he is now banging on with a spoon; meanwhile Tiki, momentarily distracted by the pair’s antics, turns back to see one of the other bowls of cookie dough empty and Cookie with her cheeks full attempting to look innocent. (I also imagine at least one of the characters wearing an apron, which perhaps you could use to your advantage by using it to conceal those annoying-to-draw legs. )

O....m....g.... I HAVE to draw that!! It's up there with my still-in-the-making group zoo picture! In fact, I'mma start on it now! I especially wanna do Tero with a bowl on his head and I can already see how I'm gonna do Cookie's expression! And an apron sounds genius!!

I agree, Clubbie is extremely cute here. Better not stand behind him, though, or you could get knocked out.

Oh, that poor soul!!  

Most of the “flaws” I can see in this picture involve inconsistencies in symmetry. (Before I go on, let me say: AUGH! I hate how hard it is to draw a symmetrical picture! ) For instance, his left nostril is slightly lower, his left eye is slightly higher, and his upper left horn is a completely different shape compared to their counterparts on the right side of his face. Likewise, the spines on the left side of his tail do not match up with the spines on the right side of his tail. (My recommended solution would be to, in the future, draw the segmenting of the armor on his tail first, and then add the spines alternately one at a time, so you can focus on making sure each spine’s shape, size, and position matches that of its twin.)

You're definitely right! Symmetry is pure EVULZ!! Especially on the face! I've seen some methods on how to fix it, but I'm not too sure how to make it work for a non-human character with a muzzle and horns and plates. : Although I certainly like your idea for the tail symmetry, I usually draw the spikes first, then the lining of the plates. I'mma employ your method for drawing Clubbie (and Toni for that matter, whom I think will be a bit more difficult to make symmetrical)!! I is thanking you! *hugs*

Other than the symmetry issues, the only thing I would suggest would be to try to make the “diagonal” rows of white scutes on his back more equidistant (to use a perhaps overly-scientific-sounding term) from the row of scutes going down the center of his back and the rows of spikes on his sides. To put it another way, if the spikes represent a 0 degree angle and the central scute row represents a 90 degree angle, then the scutes between them should be angled 45 degrees. As it is, they look like they’re somewhere between a 25 and 35 degree angle. (Aw, great, now I sound like a geometry teacher. )

........................ Yeah, okay. I'll admit it, I had to look up what "equidistant" means. But I can still understand what you're saying! I don't really have access to a protractor (I believe that's what the measuring-angles tool is called; please correct me if I'm wrong!) but I think I can measure the angles via the naked eye now that I know what I'm looking for!

Awesome to see another picture from you, and hope more will be coming soon.

Okay!! Here ya go!



Sorry it took some time, I've been alternating between drawing Super Mario Bros. fanart, and LBT fanart like this! Being obsessed with two different things simultaneously is difficult.

And OOOOOOOO!! I think I really am getting better at drawing birds! Sure, I still see mistakes (like I know I screwed up on the leg-feathers, but since Teryx really doesn't use them for powered flight, I guess it can be excuse-able ), but it still came out a whole lot better than I expected!

Teryx is on the hunt and catches sight of a wit-less little mammal digging for food. The little Fuzzer caught some generic insect just as it senses something is wrong. Will it manage to escape or will Teryx get his lunch?

You know...this is my first time thinking about it and I dunno why I haven't brought it up before when I'm emphasizing Tero's hate for sharpteeth and Teryx being a mini sharptooth but... yeah, it's probably behaviors like this that contributes Tero's hatred for Teryx. Aside from the fact that their personalities are far less than compatible, Tero knows Teryx is a sharptooth whose size is the only thing keeping him from being a real threat worthy of being chased off and/or killed. But what if Teryx were to come across a newly-hatched baby Leaf Eater? Fortunately, Teryx isn't interested in hatchlings as food.

Also, I don't like backgrounds right now, so I skipped it entirely!   Squeeeeeee!! I still can't believe how well this turned out!! Thank you so much, Pangy!! Those pics you showed me and the tips you supplied were a HUGE help!! I have no doubt this pic would've turned up having a LOT more anatomical inaccuracies if it wasn't for you! *glomps*

Warning: This is a pretty dark story containing blood and violence (no worries though, I toned down the gory details and there is no bad language!).

This story is the one detailing my Hammer Bro. OC, Crash's, background. It's also got the highest word-count I've done in a One-shot.

-~-

A red-garbed, mustached plumber crept through the dark corridors of the castle, almost sweating from the heat, no doubt radiating from the numerous lava pits. Cheese and rice, was it really necessary to put lava pits INSIDE one's house? Peeking over a corner, the human scanned his surroundings, searching for any enemies that might be on guard and fully prepared to face a Koopatrol or a fire-breathing Pirahna Plant. Seeing nothing though, Mario blinked in surprise but nonetheless stayed tense as he slowly inched his way out of his cover. This was just too easy, maybe he should-

A rush of wind whizzed past his head and he jumped back on reflex, turning to face his attackers. Two Hammer Bros. stood poised to attack once more, hammers at the ready. He knew this was too easy, and he reached for his Fire Flower; unfortunately, he wasn't going to be allowed such a move as the two Koopas took aim at the intruder and launched their infamous stream of endless weaponry. Mario braced himself before throwing himself this way and that as he dodged the hammers, advancing on his attackers as he did so. Within seconds, he lunged in retaliation, the two brothers in turn throwing themselves in opposite directions. Mid-jump, one of them took critical aim and launched another hammer.

Mario didn't know what hit him as the hammer slammed into his head and he fell to the ground... before disappearing in a cloud of stars. Crash and Striker grinned in triumph, one twin walking over to stand by the other.

"Nice aim, Striker. Now if you can only hit a real target!" Crash said jokingly, laughing as his brother gave him a responding shove.

"Let's see you say that when I tell the Magikoopa to up the difficulty level." Striker poked back with a grin. "I bet you'd choke if it was higher than Warm-Up."

Narrowing his eyes in a playful glare, Crash was about to make a come-back when a high-pitched, chirpy voice signaled the approach of someone he didn't particularly want to meet right now...

"THAT WAS AWESOME!!!" And now, Crash's elation completely drove itself into the ground as a young Paratroopa zoomed over to them. It was Flap, their '#1 Fan'/stalker. Face-palming, Crash heard his brother snickering at him as the little Koopa landed by the duo. "The way you guys jumped and threw those hammers! Wow! That Mario thing didn't stand a chance!" The Paratroopa fluttered his wings in contained hyperactivity as he continued to awe over his idols. "The real Mario better look out, 'cause you two are gonna take him down, no sweat at all!"

"Yeah, yeah. It was just a warm-up, so will you be quiet now?" Crash muttered in irritation, finding the mere presence of the Paratroopa annoying almost beyond his tolerance. He wouldn't mind the little fanboy if he knew how to simply shut up! He knew that as a Hammer Bro., alot of the lower-ranked Koopas would be admiring him and striving to be like him. That's not really a bad thing and he understood that, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't find a rabid, psycho fanboy anything but creepy.

Personally, he never was fond of the other Koopa species. They just didn't seem particularly useful, especially in the defense of the Koopa King whenever Mario is involved. If anything, they were just mere decoys used to stall and distract the enemy for like...2 seconds. Meanwhile, his own kind and their subspecies brethren were much more of a challenge; he recalled news that he once heard that his own kind was in fact, one of Mario's major fears. THAT said something in comparison, he felt.

Well, I guess we need someone to do the dirty work, he thought to himself as he watched a Koopa Troopa sweep up the star-dust remains of their practice target. Returning his attention reluctantly on the current situation, he put on a bored face as he regarded the jumpy little Paratroopa who continued to fawn over them like they were the greatest thing to ever walk the planet. Oh, come on... Doesn't this kid have any other Hammer Bros. to harass? Then again, he'd rather not subject his fellows to THAT.

"Ugh! I wish I was hatched a Hammer Bro.! And-" The Paratroopa's endless ramble was cut off as Striker waved his hand with a smile, always having a bit more tolerance than his brother.

"You were hatched a Paratroopa. Enjoy those wings because I'm sure there are some out there envying you for having them."

"You think?" Flap asked in surprise, glancing back at his wings before feeling a little flicker of pride.

Striker didn't get the opportunity to answer when a roaring voice echoed powerfully through the corridors of the castle. "ALL KOOPAS REPORT TO ME, NOW!!!" It was King Bowser Koopa and the three Koopas visibly cringed at the loud and unexpected call. Looking to each other in silence, the trio began walking towards the throne room with hurried strides, knowing what little patience their superior had. Arriving quickly, the three saw the large room filled with practically every species of Koopa under the sun. Losing Flap as they pushed through the crowd, Crash and Striker made efforts to reach the very front, looking up at the largest Koopa in the room, whose leering red eyes scanned his audience to make sure they were all accounted for.

Once everybody was present, Bowser spoke up, his voice reverberating throughout the entire room and rattling the shells of every minion here. "I'm about to put into motion a new plan to kidnap the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom," -At this, the vast majority of the Koopas held in a groan- "but I notice our ranks are diminishing because of the monster we all know as Mario. So, to fix that problem, we're going to launch a raid on a nearby Koopa village. I want you to capture as many Koopas as possible so we may begin to convert them to our ranks."

This got a loyal nod from the group as they immediately went on to organize their raiding party, their first task figuring out who was going and who wasn't. They weren't foolish enough to waste their entire army in a simple mission as this. The 'good' Koopas, -those who wished to ally themselves with the Mushroom Kingdom rather than to their own king-, were not trained fighters, and although a defense would be anticipated, it wasn't to be taken seriously. Looking towards Crash as they watched over the forming rank, Striker muttered softly under his breath. "Should we volunteer for the job?"

"I don't see why not. All these other Koopas are just gonna screw it up." his twin answered, also using it as an excuse to leave Flap behind, as the fledgling Paratroopa was a bit too young to join in any mission potentially involving battle. So for the time being, Flap contented himself with getting his king a simple drink, shouting out good wishes to his heroes, whom pretty much ignored him. Huh, maybe they just didn't hear him over the noisy activity. Yeah, that was it! He fluttered out the throne room towards the kitchen, just as clueless as ever before.

Eventually, everything was organized and the strategy was all worked out and ready to go into action. This will just be a quick in-and-out; the stronger members of the rank will subdue resistance whilst the lower-ranking Koopas will capture the hostages and bring them back to the castle. With any luck, the entire process will only span the length of an hour... including the trip there and back. The nearest Koopa village was not far at all, only a few miles with little obstacles, and the armada began moving out from the castle towards the community of unsuspecting Koopas.

It was a peaceful town, the Koopa village, and the residents were just going about their daily lives when a watchful Paratroopa took notice of strange dust-cloud that seemed to be getting closer. Pausing in a hover, he squinted at the supposed cloud to see the advancing army of fellow Koopas. Realizing quickly what was going to happen, as there had been rumors of raids in other Koopa communities, the aerial look-out swooped down the main path of his village as quickly as his wings could carry him.

"We're about to be invaded by Bowser's army! Everyone get ready!" he shouted at the very top of his lungs, repeating the alarm as needed until he was certain he covered every inch of town. The other Koopas began to panic as most retreated into their houses. Some were bolder, however, and was ready to defend themselves, their home, and their families. As the army reached the outskirts of the village, they were met with a wall of resistance and within a few seconds, the two forces met in a swarming sea of scales, beaks, and shells.

It was pure chaos all around them as Crash and Striker stood side-by-side, living in the heat of battle as they brought down any enemy in their line of sight with a flurry of hammers. Missions like this, even if they were as minor as a simple raid, were what they lived for and the two worked as a single unit to get the job done. One of the village Koopas attempted to break this cooperation by slamming himself into Crash relentlessly. The attacked Hammer Bro. gave a snarl as the two rolled farther off from their original spot, each trying to pin down the other. But Crash was the stronger and more experienced turtle and he struck out with a hammer and knocked the smaller reptile off of him. Hopping back to his feet, he took his stunned opponent's wrists and tied them with rope, giving the same treatment to the legs. Grinning at this accomplishment, he put two fingers in his beak and gave a loud whistle.

Within an instant, two ally Koopa Troopas hurried over and took the hostage, dragging him off the battle grounds towards the castle. There's one more hostage he caught; he wondered how many they've captured so far. Hopefully, by the end, it'll be enough to satisfy Bowser. But no time to ponder too much about any given subject; doing so could result in his own capture or even losing his life. Pulling out more hammers, Crash resumed launching them at any enemy Koopa that he saw, many of which met their target. The stunned Koopas were immediately swarmed upon by his allies to meet the fate of a captive 'recruit'. Everything was going well; he would even go as far as calling it a piece of cake.

Catching sight of a particularly feisty enemy Koopa, he smirked as he took aim and-

"CRASH!!!" That one singular cry was all that existed in the world as the regarded Hammer Bro. froze mid-throw, eyes wide. No...No, it couldn't be... Crash snapped his attention towards the voice's direction, seeing past the chaos, focusing only on a single pile of attacking enemy Koopas. An instinct he never felt before, a pure instinct of panic racing through his veins with every beat of his frantic heart, took over his body and he tried to dash to the rescue of his brother. But things were not to be so easy as several of the enemy Koopas tried to attack him in turn.

Not wanting to fight anymore, but having no choice, Crash shoved and reached for another hammer, slugging one unfortunate Koopa across the head. But even as he was defending his own life, all he could think about was his brother. Casting as many glances towards his sibling as he could manage, he took notice that several ally Koopas were nearby, watching the pile attack the Hammer Bro. in fear. Calling out to them, his voice was beyond desperate.

"Hey! Save my brother!" he told them, trying his best to get his attackers out of the way as quickly as he could to no avail. The ally Koopas, consisting of a Koopa Troopa, a Paratroopa, and a Dry Bones, looked to him, acknowledging him with only frightened confusion. "Don't just stand there! Help him!" He then used a word he hardly ever used in any context, but he didn't care if his dignity was to be shattered; his twin's life was on a very thin line. "Please! You have to save him!'"

But it didn't go as he had hoped when the trio of Koopas looked at each other, then at the attacking mob. They seemed extremely reluctant to launch themselves at the obviously murderous mob, and when a few of the enemy Koopas turned their attention to them, the trio, -Crash's only hope-, turned and ran away to save themselves without so much as a second's backwards glance.

"No! Don't leave him! Don't..." Crash could say no more as he was overwhelmed with horror and disbelief. What were they...how could they...? No thoughts could finish in his mind as even more desperation filled his core. Shoving his opponents away, he struggled to get free of their horde, focused only on reaching his brother. But it was no use, for when he finally broke free, the mob was dispersing to reveal... "No...NononononoNO!"

Crash hurried to his sibling, ignoring the chaos around him as if it all didn't exist. Reaching his sibling's side, he shook the limp body fervently. "Striker! Striker, get up! You have to get up!" He wasn't getting any response from the beaten form at his feet and he shook him even harder, shouting his name at the top of his lungs. But he knew he was screaming at a corpse, although his mind refused to accept it. His brother couldn't possibly be dead! No! It was... It was physically impossible... It was... It was true. His brother, his best friend, was gone, never to return to him.

Dropping to his knees, Crash felt his face begin to soak as tears fell unhindered from his eyes, dripping onto the body of the fallen Hammer Bro. Reaching out, Crash held the body of his brother close in as best a hug as his shivering form would allow, not caring that some of Striker's blood was smearing onto his shell. Nothing mattered; an enemy Koopa could've hit him on the head with a shovel and broke his helmet in two and he wouldn't notice, he wouldn't care. The only individual he ever really cared for was gone.

Hammer Bros. were hatched as twins and were to remain together for life. Friends, mates, other family members were important, yes, but twin siblings were the top priority when it came to his kind. Never were they to separate and to find oneself alone prematurely was...unthinkable. Until now. It wasn't fair! They were supposed to go out with a bang, supposed to leave this world together to face whatever unknowns awaited them! And now, he was left behind to pick up the pieces and it was all his fault!

No, his mind spoke through the emotional fog otherwise clouding his consciousness. It wasn't your fault at all. You did the best you could. If anything, the real targets for your blame are...

That revelation didn't need to complete itself in his head before his eyes snapped open, taking on an intense and irrational glare. His inner voice was right; he wasn't the one who ran away in cowardly fear when one of his own allies needed him most. No, it was those lowly Koopas that did this. They were always decoys in his mind; treated with indifference at best and a source of irritation at worse, but now... But now they were so much more than that; and that wasn't a good thing.

People always say that one doesn't think straight in situations like this; that wasn't so with Crash. If anything, his mind cleared more than it ever has, and his emotional fog faded at least temporarily. It was so very clear to him now; those lower Koopas were nothing but cowards, pests that were willing to heartlessly abandon one of their own in any given situation. Creatures like that were NOT worthy of life!

Placing his brother back on the ground, he stood up and turned away, eyes scanning for his perceived enemies. Ah, there they are, tying down a struggling hostage. Focusing only on his targets, Crash felt his body fill with a horrible rage that he's never felt before. Walking with a menacing purpose in his step, he approached the trio, reaching for a hammer and gripping it in a hold so tight, it would be physically painful if he actually cared to notice. Stopping before the struggling Koopas, they paused as they looked up at him, the hostage Koopa's eyes widening in fear, thinking Crash was here as back-up. The Hammer Bro. certainly seemed pissed as he rose his hammer.

The hostage Koopa closed his eyes in terror, waiting for the blow. He felt the rush of wind, but there was no pain. Within an instant, there was a cry, and it took the Koopa a second to realize that that cry wasn't his own. Opening his eyes, he was stunned at what he saw.

Crash stormed to the fallen Koopa Troopa that he just struck across the head, grabbing him by the neck and keeping him from getting back up. Then came the most brutal act any of the Koopas, good or bad, has ever seen. Each blow filled with every ounce of hatred Crash had, he brought the hammer down again and again, smashing the Koopa's head and face in. Although he was quickly becoming covered in blood and his victim was already beyond dead, he didn't stop for even a second. And when he did, there was silence all around him as nearby Koopas from both sides stared at him in horror. He ignored them as they weren't important, turning his sharp gaze to his other two targets.

The Paratroopa and Dry Bones were frozen for a moment, their minds barely comprehending what just happened. Did this Hammer Bro. just...? They then snapped out of their stunned state to notice that attention had shifted to them and they began to back up in terror. Crash only needed to stand before both Koopas turned tail and tried to retreat, the Paratroopa taking flight. But Crash wasn't about to let either of them get away after what they done to Striker, and he unleashed a stream of hammers in their general direction, uncaring if any bystander was stupid enough to get in the line of fire.

As one of the hammers reduced the Dry Bones into a useless pile, Crash hurried to the bones to smash the arms and legs so that even when the Dry Bones reassembled, he won't be able to get anywhere anytime soon. One enemy immobilized, Crash scanned the sky to spy the Paratroopa still flying away. Taking out another hammer, he took only a split-second to aim before he threw it right into the aerial turtle's wing with a sickening crack. The Paratroopa cried out in pain before crashing into the dirt, not even having enough time to withdraw into his shell to protect against the impact. Several other Koopas rushed over to help him up, but even they backed off when Crash made his way over, each not wanting to be the target of this seemingly random act of violence. The Paratroopa saw the approach and scrambled to his feet frantically, only to feel more explosive pain as the Hammer Bro. threw another hammer into his leg. Falling over, the winged Koopa attempted to scoot away before he felt a tight grip clamping onto the front edge of his shell.

Feeling a cold fear beyond anything he's ever felt before creep through his body, he turned his head to see Crash holding yet another hammer ready to strike. Swallowing, the Koopa made one last desperate attempt to get out of this insane situation.

"Don't! Please!" he screamed, his voice choking. However, it only got the opposite of its intention as Crash's glare hardened even more as he responded in the lowest growl the Paratroopa's heard since Bowser's last anger fit.

"Why would I show mercy to you when you clearly lack it yourself?" Gritting his beak and tightening his grip, more tears welled up in his eyes and he made no attempt to stop them as they only strengthened his rage. Bringing his hammer down, he earned a screech of agony as he made contact. Another blow sent the Paratroopa into the darkness of unconsciousness, but that was nowhere near good enough as Crash put all his strength into the next blow. There was a horrible crunching sound signaling the Paratroopa's death, but like with the Koopa Troopa, Crash kept on going. Yet more warm blood splattered onto his face and chest and he didn't stop until the smaller Koopa's face was unrecognizable.

One more left. Standing and breathing heavily, Crash turned to find the Dry Bones in the middle of reassembling himself, making vain efforts to mend his broken limbs so as to retreat. It didn't seem at all possible to kill a Koopa that was already dead, but that was not going to detour the murderous Hammer Bro. from his vengeance. He'll make it happen, and he knew exactly how to do it. Storming over to the skeleton, he glared down at the whimpering head, meeting the scared eyes of this monster, this pathetic deformed coward.

The sound of yet more crunching filled the air as Crash proceeded to attack the undead Koopa. Again and again his hammer was brought down, hitting any part unfortunate enough to be underneath it. All the while, the Dry Bones could do nothing but watch his own body get reduced to nothing more than dust from the constant beating. Finally, Crash turned his attention to the skull itself and finished the entire ordeal once and for all, giving it the same treatment as he did the rest of the body and shell.

There was more silence, broken only by the heavy breaths of the rampaging Hammer Bro. A quick glance around showed he was alone, the other Koopas on both sides feeling enough terror from the spectacle that they both retreated to their respective homes. Who cares? Now that his targets were obliterated, nothing else mattered for the time being. Nothing except his brother. Turning away from the pile of bone dust, Crash stumbled towards Striker's body, dropping his blood covered hammer as he fell to his knees by his sibling's side.

From there, his body was wracked with shuddering sobs as he broke down completely, burying his face into his arms, which in turn were laid across his brother's shell. For a long time, only his cries and whimpers echoed through the landscape. He didn't move from his position, he didn't form any coherent words. He just cried relentlessly, even after his eyes ran out of tears to shed. Eventually, though, his shudders began to die down and when he lifted his soaked face from his brother's shell, he saw that night has fallen. Only the light from the nearby village and from the stars and moon illuminated the darkness around him, and even then, it still seemed too dark.

Still refusing to move from his spot, Crash shifted only his eyes to look up at the sky. Although the stars that greeted him were numerous, he's never felt so alone. It was strange, this feeling of utter loneliness; it was the most horrible sensation he's ever felt. He's used to leaving his brother's side for only a short time, and only when King Bowser had an assignment specifically for himself or for Striker. It was unnatural for a Hammer Bro. to be without a partner; he's known several Hammer Bros. that lost their siblings, mostly to Mario. And over a variable amount of time, most of them... ended up in such a strong state of depression that they ultimately perished as a result, whether from their own hands or from natural causes brought on by the grief.

Was he to meet the same fate as well? Might as well end it now, whilst he was still by his brother's side. They'll still be together...Sure, there was a delay between them, but it's basically the same thing when it came down to it. He can just take the sharp end of his hammer and...

But despite those thoughts, his body was unresponsive. He just couldn't summon the energy needed to even reach for a hammer. All he could do was let his heavy eyelids close and allow himself to drift into a fretful slumber. His last thought was the hope that he would never wake again, to face his first day truly alone...


---

The sun was unforgiving as it peeked over the horizon, shining its glow over the landscape like a curtain opening to reveal a powerful spot light. Crash winced as the rays struck his face and he turned his head away. He was awake, as he had been for about an hour now. It has been an exceptionally rough night, where he would startle awake at random, about to call out for his brother, only to remember the events of the previous day. So much for the wish to slip away in his sleep...

Opening his eyes slowly, he found every movement draining and sore, like he's just performed the most vigorous exercise of his life. It didn't help that the dried blood had caked over his scales, making his skin feel too tight. He didn't care; he could be in the never-ending agony of being eviscerated alive, and he would welcome it entirely. Looking over to the village, as if hoping the residents would carry out his silent wishes, he saw that the few Koopas who were awake were still hiding in their houses, occasionally peeking out at him from a window.

Deciding to ignore them too as he forced himself to sit up, Crash turned his attention to the only thing that did matter. Placing a shaky hand on his brother's helmet, he felt his sobs returning, but his eyes were dry as his tears has still not replenished. Choking out his words, his voice was hallow and sounded foreign to him.

"I'm sorry, Striker. I'm sorry I couldn't reach you in time. I'm sorry that..." As he trailed off, he felt his sorrow partner itself with rage and he felt his hands tighten into fists as he hissed through a clenched beak. "I'm sorry we had to ally ourselves with miserable pieces of scum! I'll make them all pay for what they did to you. I won't rest until every one of their kind is rotting in the ground! I don't care what Lord Bowser says or does about it; I'll finish the job as a Dry Bones if I have to!"

His anger cooled a bit as he fell silent, just staring at Striker's body as if hoping for some response. But there was nothing; there always will be nothing. Taking a deep shaky breath and letting it out in a broken sigh, he stood up, a bit unsteady on his feet from his night of no general movement. Scanning the landscape for a suitable spot, he sighted a soft patch of dirt under a large tree. That looked good. Leaning down, he took gentle hold of his brother's arms and proceeded to drag him to that spot as best he could. Arriving at the patch, he dug his bloodied hands into the soil and began to dig.

The soil was surprisingly cooperative, as if it understood what he was doing. Sure, there was an occasional rock or root in the way, but it was nothing he couldn't remove. After what seemed like forever, a deep enough grave was built and he stood up to gently shift his brother into it, not even dusting himself off. Placing Striker inside delicately, Crash paused to look upon his sibling one last time before replacing the removed dirt slowly. One handful after another fell into the grave and it wasn't too long at all before the burial was completed, with only a small mound to reveal the nature of this small patch of dirt. Unsatisfied so far, Crash picked up two hammers and stabbed their handles into the ground, leaning them towards each other enough to form an 'X' and tying them together with what rope he still had.

There. Standing up solemnly, Crash stood with his head bowed in silent respect, staying like that for the longest time before reluctantly backing away a couple steps. Practically against his will, he turned away and began to walk, forcing himself not to look back as he knew that if he did, he would never be able to leave. He just kept moving, focusing step by step towards the castle. He stopped for nothing, not wanting to risk breaking down again. Mario could walk across his path and say 'Kill me; I give up', and Crash would've made no acknowledgement to it whatsoever.

Finally, the castle loomed into sight, towering above him as he crossed the lava-pit that acted as a protective moat. A couple of Boomerang Bros. were guarding the entrance, but Crash said nothing to his subspecies relatives. He didn't even want to look at them. They were equals in his mind and were to be spared from the fate he had planned for the other Koopas, but just looking at the two siblings, only reminded him of what he had lost forever.

The fellow Koopas stared wide-eyed at him as he entered the castle, but made no effort to stop him to ask questions. Keeping his gaze on the ground, he noticed in his peripheral vision, and the general feeling of being watched, that every Koopa of any species he came across was staring at him in horror as he wandered by. He knew how he looked to them: here he comes alone and covered in dirt and dried-up blood, which anyone can tell from the scent came from his fellow Koopas, with a dazed look on his face.

Let them gawk; they did this to him, so they had nobody to blame but themselves. What he did was not murder; it was justice and once he recovered his strength, he'll carry out the full extent of that justice on every single one of them. But right now, all he wanted was to get into his room, -a room he no longer shared with his sibling, he realized-, collapse on the bed, and forget everything for a few precious hours. Unfortunately, it seems he wasn't going to be granted even that as a loud roar once more echoed through the halls.

"CRASH, REPORT TO ME IMMEDIATELY!!!" Again, it was King Bowser Koopa; seems news of his return had spread faster than wild fire. Barely snapping out of his state, Crash listlessly changed his course and began wandering towards the throne room. His mind couldn't even get itself to wonder vaguely what was in store for him. Nonetheless, the mystery won't last too long, for as soon as he walked through the door, a massive fire-ball slammed right into him. Crying out at the unexpected burning pain, Crash was thrown back against a wall and sank back to the ground.

Wincing heavily at the lingering pain of his new burns, Crash could barely open an eye to see his king looking absolutely furious. The spike-shelled giant stormed over to his fallen self and the Hammer Bro. had no way of defending himself as the King of Koopas grabbed him in such a tight hold, that he could barely breathe. He didn't struggle in any way, knowing it would be useless and finding no real motivation to do so in the first place. Glaring red eyes bored into him and Crash could barely maintain eye-contact in his near-suffocation as his lord hissed out.

"I've been informed our raid had to be cut short because of you. Is it true that you went traitor on us, and killed several of our own soldiers?!" Bowser half-expected Crash to lie; he wanted the Hammer Bro. to lie, to try and deceive him and dig himself into an even greater punishment. But that expectation was surprisingly not met when Crash responded with as best a nod as he could manage, finding no reason to try to save himself. It startled Bowser, for sure, as he usually had to torture a truthful answer out of a guilty Koopa. But it did little to change the issue at hand and the larger Koopa threw his victim into yet another wall.

Crash held in a cry of pain this time, his heavy shell and helmet doing little to cushion the impact when it came from such a powerful foe. Coughing out a bit of blood, the Hammer Bro. tried to force himself to his hands and knees, almost missing his punisher's words as he did so.

"You were always a loyal servant, Crash. So hearing something like this really begs the question as to WHY!" That angry roar rang through his ears and head and Crash had to reorientate himself to try and form a verbal response.

"Th...they killed Striker..." At this, Lord Bowser looked rather surprised through his anger. He certainly hasn't been told this part of the story. Crash was unaware of his boss' reaction as he continued, fighting back the replenished tears that begged to flow from his eyes once more. "...They showed no mercy for my brother... So they'll get no mercy from me..." Keeping his head low in submission, he looked toward his king, not going to let any details of his intentions go unheard. "So kill me now, my Lord... Because if you don't... I'm gonna ensure that every...single...one of them will get the same treatment they showed Striker."

Closing his eyes and sinking to the floor in a wave of weakness, Crash waited for the inevitable, not caring if it'll be painless and hoping that it won't be. His brother suffered in his death, and Crash wished the same for himself. But after a moment, nothing happened and Crash turned his attention to Bowser in confusion. The king actually looked thoughtful, his face carrying that same look he always had when he was working out how to get something negative to work in his favor. Which was exactly what he was doing. Hammer Bros. were his elite forces, but also a bit on the rare side. As such, he didn't treat them as much in a disposable manner as he would show, say, to a common Koopa Troopa.

Whenever a Hammer Bro. (or any kind of Bro.) lost his brother, Bowser at least tries to assign them a new partner, but it was never truly enough to keep them content and alive for long. But this one was a strange case. Never before has a Hammer Bro. placed so much obvious rage and hatred towards the other Koopas, blamed them to this extent of retaliation. The King of Koopas was fully aware how destructive that behavior would be if he allowed it, as his Koopa Troop was thinning out as it is, so maybe it'll be best to get rid of the problem entirely, even if it meant one less elite fighter. Or maybe, if he utilizes it correctly...

The floor vibrated with every step the giant Koopa took towards the fallen form of Crash. Feeling that his end was finally coming, Crash once more closed his eyes and fell limp, counting the seconds silently in his mind. Finally, the shuddering steps halted and the smaller Koopa could practically feel Bowser's presence beside him.

"Get up." the King barked and another instant of confusion flashed in the Hammer Bro.'s head. But that confusion didn't matter as Crash pushed himself up, first on all fours before shakily standing upright, ignoring the pain as he straightened to attention, eyes still clamped shut just in case the end would claim him unexpectedly. There was a silence in the thick atmosphere before Bowser spoke again, his tone a bit calmer. "Let's test just how much that vow of yours holds up."

"Sir...?" Crash croaked out, his bloodied face communicating his bewilderment as he looked up at his superior. But King Koopa didn't answer as he turned his attention to the door and shouted at the top of his voice.

"FLAP!!! GET IN HERE!!!" One would think that his voice would give out with so much yelling, but his roars were just as strong as ever. Crash was all the more confused; what's the point of calling in that stupid Paratroopa kid? He wasn't to be left in the dark for too long before Bowser turned back to him. "Perhaps I can still make use of you. You tell me you want to kill the other Koopas but I wish to see if your bite is as bad as your bark. When Flap gets in here, you're free to do what you wish and you will stop only when I say so. Understand?"

Realization dawned on Crash and his gaze hardened as a result. So Bowser's testing whether his words were just a bluff, nothing more than an empty promise made in the heat of the moment? Well, he wasn't going to fail that test. When the young Paratroopa fluttered into the room, Crash didn't even waste a second before he pulled out a hammer and took aim at the unsuspecting Koopa, throwing his weapon and striking the little Paratroopa right in the wing. There goes Flap's only true defense, and the kid screamed in startled agony as he fell to the ground. Whimpering, Flap looked over to his damaged wing; while he was lucky the flight limbs haven't broken off completely as they tended to do under trauma, the pain was unbearable. He certainly won't be flying for a long time, but...

Looking over at some movement, he didn't even get a chance to identify his attacker before another hammer struck him across his face. With a squeal of pain, he opened his eyes to see... Crash? For an instant, his bleary mind couldn't comprehend it, couldn't link the other Koopa with his pain. But it was obvious as Crash lifted his hammer again and brought it back down. Within that very instant, Flap cried out in fear and tried to pull away. The hammer made contact and cracked the under-shell, but even with the natural barrier, Flap grunted from the force of the impact.

"Crash! What're you doing?!" the young Koopa piped when his lungs recovered the air lost in the blow, gaining enough of his senses to scramble away on all fours. But although injured and weak himself, Crash was more than capable enough to grab hold of the Paratroopa's injured wing and he yanked him back to his original spot, causing little Flap to cry out in pain. Instinctively, the smaller Koopa began to struggle and fight back, trying to shove Crash away, whilst snapping the air with his beak. The Hammer Bro. was undeterred by his weaker opponent, and wisely keeping out of reach of that frantic beak, he stilled Flap's thrashes with another blow to the head.

Squeaking, the youngster felt his body go limp, his vision just black for a moment despite his eyes being wide open. Bordering unconsciousness, he was only aware of pain, which only got worse as Crash smashed his hammer into Flap's right leg. His resulting shriek of pain bringing him back from his stunned state, Flap felt uncontrollable tears soak his cheeks as he whimpered, trying everything in the unwritten book of Koopa behavior to show submission. He didn't wanna fight back, he didn't want this conflict, he didn't want anymore pain! But it wasn't working for some reason and Crash ignored the appeasing squeaks and humbled body language to snap Flap's other leg.

There. Now the little one can't run away like the coward he was. The Hammer Bro. glared down at the sobbing creature, his face void of compassion and only carrying an infinite amount of hatred. Flap has never done anything to him, except annoy him. He didn't bring any physical or emotional pain to him, he never back-stabbed him, and before the incident, Crash might admit that he did care a little about the inexperienced fanboy. But all that was chucked out the figurative window, because all Crash saw was not a frightened child in pain, whom couldn't comprehend the situation; no, all he saw was a monster, a monster that forfeited its life from the moment it was hatched a Paratroopa.

Really, Flap oughta be dead by now; Crash was more than capable of ending him in an instant. But there was to be no satisfaction in that. Make him suffer; that's the only way to properly carry out justice.

"C...Crash..." Flap choked out, a few droplets of blood revealing itself from his mouth as he spoke. Eyes wide, he met the gaze of his attacker, trying again to appeal to his idol, his hero! "Why...Why are you...doing this...? I...I thought we were friends...!"

Hearing this, Crash's expression flared and Flap cringed and shuddered in pure terror as the Hammer Bro. grabbed him by the throat and held him close to his blood-covered face. "I would never be friends with a mudstain like you. Not after what you did."

"Wha...?" Flap barely managed to squeak, his hands prying uselessly at the iron grip around his neck. Crash didn't seem to have heard him as he carried on with an underlying hiss, his tone building with anger with each word.

"I always wondered what Lord Bowser sees in any of you... All my life, I saw you as distractions, decoys. Not really capable of anything of value." He gave a self-loathing laugh, shaking his head to himself as he continued his ramble, as if not addressing anyone in particular. "But I didn't really want to believe that. I wanted to think that I was simply not seeing your true potential and that it'll all dawn on me if given the time..."

With that, his eyes sharpened, glaring right into the tear-filled pools of his current victim's gaze, and his choking hold tightened even more, hardly allowing the Paratroopa even a wisp of air. This time, his stabbing words had a target, driving themselves painfully into the little fledgling's heart and soul.

"And I've been so foolish as to give you all that one chance; that one chance to prove me wrong, to show me that you were more than just meaningless tools..." His eyes began to fill with tears once more, and he made no efforts to fight them back, allowing them to tickle down his cheeks as the image of his brother's body flashed in his mind's eye. "And what came out of it?! I practically begged you to save my brother's LIFE and WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"N...nothing..." Flap stuttered weakly, still confused as to why this was happening and what Crash was talking about. The little Paratroopa wasn't even part of the raid-incident, so why was his idol turning on him so very viciously? He was inclined to think this was under King Bowser's orders, but that didn't explain the terrible flaming rage flashing in Crash's eyes during the whole conflict. And even when that flame seemed to have simmered down at his answer, it was replaced with such icy coldness that Flap actually felt a chill run down his spine.

"Exactly. Nothing. And now," He took hold of his bloodied hammer that rested beside him once more and Flap would scream in horror if he could breathe properly. "every time I so much as glance at the rest of your disgusting kind, all I will be able to think about is how much I would love to BASH YOUR BRAINS OUT!!!" With that outburst, he smashed the hammer into the Paratroopa's skull with all his might, finally putting an end to the fledgling's suffering. But like with all his previous victims, it wasn't enough and he began smashing the face into a bloodied pulp.

"That's enough, Crash!" Bowser commanded, having seen all he needed to decide his future plans concerning this situation. But Crash paid no mind, as if not hearing his king's orders and he kept brutalizing the corpse until a fire-ball slammed into him. Forced off the body, Crash slid across the room, his new burns practically smoking. Overwhelmed with pain, his anger broke in time to hear his lord's words. "When I say stop, you stop! Do you hear me!?"

Crash forced a nod through his agony, trying to push passed it all to stand again. He can only manage to lift his body abit on his arms before the pain got too much and he tried to recover from everything that happened within the span of a few moments. Analyzing his actions, he realized that through his pain and rage, he felt something odd. It was like satisfaction, but a lot stronger, especially whenever his victim cried in pain. Within an instant, he understood what it was: pleasure, pure sadistic pleasure. Even now, through his sheer agony, both old and new, the feeling with still residing within him.

In his moment of self-realization, he almost missed Bowser's next statement.

"Now that you understand that basic command, I have a new little arrangement for you, Crash." Bowser started, his red eyes flashing maliciously. "I'll allow you to punish and occasionally execute the other Koopas, but only when I say and only when I approve. Some are growing too lax and disrespectful and I will use you to keep them in line. Plus, new recruits always tend to be defiant, but it's nothing a good beating can't fix." Growling pleasantly at the thought, Bowser stepped over to the Hammer Bro. "Those are your only options. Either continue to serve me under my restraints and live; or give in to your lack of self-control and become a loose cannon, in which case I might as well kill you now."

Understanding what he was being 'offered', Crash paused for a moment to consider. He wanted the other Koopas dead, as many and as fast as he could make possible. Those restraints won't allow him to kill on a whim. At least in death, he'll be reunited with his brother...no! He must first right the wrong that has been done; bring Striker's killers to true justice, to true extinction. And then, when his brother's honor has been restored, Crash will be able to find enough of that final peace to move on and rejoin his redeemed sibling.

Weighing his choices one last time, Crash allowed a smirk through his pain and nodded his head in agreement...

THE END

I doubt there's a lot of Mario fans here who will read this, but tell me what you think if you did!

There's a lack of interest on this thread :unsure: .....Oh well!! I'm still gonna be spamming it with new pics!! And since this thread's now officially for my Mario fanart, it's no longer exclusionary (it's a word !) to Paratroopas!! So....

Presenting my Hammer Bro. OC, Crash!



I'm already working on a fanfic for this guy, going into detail about one little...er....personality quirk of his: he has a murderous hatred for the 'lower' Koopa species (Koopa Troopas, Paratroopas, Magikoopas, Dry Bones, etc). You see, during a raid to capture new Koopa 'recruits', Crash's brother, Striker, is killed when he's overtaken by a defensive mob. Crash couldn't reach his brother in the chaos and ordered the other Koopas to save his sibling. To no avail: the nearby Koopas only fled in terror, leaving the fallen Hammer Bro. to die. This sparked a rage in Crash and instead of attacking the enemy Koopas, he attacked and killed his cowardly fellows for deserting his twin (I believe Hammer Bros. are bor-, er..hatched as twins and they spend the rest of their lives alongside their sibling, thus the term Hammer BRO.).

After the raid, Bowser heard news of this rampage and, understandably ticked off, he summons Crash. But in the midst of punishment, Bowser gets a bright idea: why not use Crash's newfound hatred to his advantage? He now uses Crash to keep his subjects in line via brutal punishment or public execution. He also uses the deranged Hammer Bro. to beat rebellious new recruits into submission. The creepy part is.... Crash actually enjoys his new job...immensely :blink: ....as he still blames all the lower-ranked Koopas for the death of his brother.

And this won't be the last pic you'll be seeing of this angry character. He plays a potential part in the PipXSabrina story. In a previous pic, I showed what happens when Bowser finds out about the relationship, but never got into detail on HOW he found out. Well...



Crash comes to notice Pip's frequent disappearances at night and grows suspicious. So he follows the Paratroopa one night and sees exactly what's going on. Waiting till Pip leaves, Crash decides to attack Sabrina, almost killing her before Pip (who began sensing something was wrong) returned. Fearing for both their lives, Pip attempts to appeal to the murderous Hammer Bro, but will it work?

Of course not! Crash attacks Pip too, and leaves them both to suffer as he goes to report the act of treachery to Bowser, knowing the Koopa King will want to punish them himself (and hoping there'll be an execution so he can have some fun too.... this is one sick-in-the-head Hammer Bro... ).

And there will be more concerning both Crash and this PipXSabrina plot.

As usual, this is hand-drawn at work and colored on photoshop. I actually pinned up Crash's introductory pic to my door, along with the words: "Trespassers, Expect To Be Hammered!". Plus, I really do keep a hammer in my room, in case a hostile and unwanted intruder didn't get the message. *laughs evilly* Anywho, it's been a while since I drew Koopas and I hope I didn't lose my touch!

Rat_lady!! Good to hear from ya again! *glomps!*

Yayz!!! Everyone remembered my birthday!! *group hug!* Sorry I'm late on the receiving end; I'm having a story/drawing surge and I've been busy!

AND OMG!!! My first ever Starday card!! In fact....I don't recall ever having received a hand-made birthday card before!! Yayz!!!

If it’s okay with you, I was hoping to get your initial reaction to the card before I told you all about it (I can't tell you how much I wish I could see that reaction in person ).

Okay!! I shall try my best to re-enact it:

WARNING: SPAZZ ATTACK AND A COMPLETE LOSS OF DIGNITY LIES AHEAD. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

*sees that people's been posting on my birthday thread and clicks it. Once I get to yours and I see the card.....* "OMFG!!!!! Holy Zotz, this is SOOOOOOOOOOO friggin' AWESOME!!! PANGY, YOU'RE THE BESTEST EVAH!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!" *this is where I fell off my bed and started spazzing on the floor* "OMG!!! ZOMG!!! BBQ!!!" *spazzes a bit more before climbing back on bed to continue* THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!! *forces myself to calm down to take a closer look at the characters. Insert me dying of laughter when I read what Sierra's saying!!!* "And I see some of my obsessions!! Pangy knows me soooo well! And Cookie with a cookie! It's even cuter than I imagined!! And OMG, I see Lio and Top Notch and...Oh noez!! Pillrus is about to be eated by Cretaceous!! And I see more OC's!! Toni and Stygia are soooo CUTE and OMG my Lemursona's there too! And the Lizard and....Wait a minute, is that Naira, the jumping spider? OMG, he's familiar with my buggy OCs too and he made Naira even more adorable than she already was! And is that me as a bat? COOL!!! " *spazzes again* "And I see the mohawk piggy and Marble and Caramel!! And I love the tiny little hat on Tero's head!! And OMG, I remember the when we were talking about the letter made out of roosting Honduran White batties!! And awwwww, one of them looks like it's sniffing towards a weirded out Thud!" *this is where I run out of the room to burn off some more pent-up spazziness before returning to see the rest.* "And it's the Squid-Who's-Inexplicably-Wearing-Pants!! He made an appearance on the card!!! YAYZ!!!!!! And I see Clubbie and...." "Boss Skua wearing a tuxedo!!! Priceless!!! And Teryx with his hand/tail!! And OMG, my dinosona looks soooo friggin' ADORABLE!! And little Guido and Pangy made me a cake (which is totally not a lie)!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! This is the best b-day present EVER!!!!!!!!!"

And this is where I died before attempting to decipher the actual words being spelled out (alliterations rule!!)!! Thoughout the whole thing, my mom was yelling at me to shut up, but I paid her no mind!!!

If you couldn't tell from my initial reaction, I absolutely ADORE this card!! It kills me many times over just by looking at it! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! *GLOMPS!!!*

Sparky was growing anxious to leave as well, not liking Mr.Threehorn's attitude towards her poor little Egg Stealers. But she kept quiet as she moved, trying not to draw attention to herself as she nommed her chocolate (rather, she was mouthing it more than biting it at this point). Hearing Miles' curious question, she shrugged.

"I have no idea. I just woke up, stepped on my tail, and realized this wasn't a dream."

---

Thud had the instinct to lower himself in submission so as not to fuel the fire in this argument, but he wasn't going to allow himself to back down just yet. He always viewed his brother as the higher-ranked Fast Biter, but he also felt he had a say in this as well. So, he held his ground sternly with a glare, growling softly as he made his response, trying to keep his tone calm despite the 'hard-headed' stab.

"Yeah, but things got better after we joined him. It certainly got easier to catch giant prey like Longnecks. And what about that recent battle? We got food to last us for weeks, and with only a few scratches here and there. We never could've pulled that off on our own!" Though he did wince as he recalled that Swimmer attacking him for biting that weird looking two-footer and then....blackness...

Pushing that aside quickly, he sighed as he looked to the ground at a nice little crack in the dirt, and a Crawler trying to squeeze into said crack. "Though you're right; what's food if we can't eat it..." He admitted this softly, not wanting to give that potentially-winning point to his brother, and his soft voice continued at his spoke up his next counter. "Red Claw's crazy, but we still owe him for all he's done..."

A split-second later, he continued in his normal voice, as if not wanting his brother to see his brief moment of morality as a weakness. "Besides..." He glanced around as if to make sure Red Claw was still out of sight. Seeing the coast was clear, he returned his full attention to Screech. "If we leave him now, we'll only make things much worse for ourselves. You think he'll appreciate us walking out on him?"

He tried his best not to show his fear of that situation, tail-twitches the only outward sign. Almost all the respect he had for the larger sharptooth was through fear of what would happen if they disobeyed him. Already unpleasant images were rising in his mind and he mentally shook it off.