Sorry if this has been talked about already, or anything similar has been brought up.

I just went on a site called Cleverbot, where you can chat with an AI like you would a regular person. Of course, when you first start, it's easy to tell you're talking to a computer as it tends to take things literally, contradicts itself, spontaneously changes the subject, and asks irrelevant questions. But the most interesting part is that the AI learns from the conversation and gets better at communicating with you the longer you chat with it (there were times when I genuinely thought I was talking to a real person). It even seems to have a personality of sorts (the one I chatted with was overall friendly, curious and insightful, although I've heard accounts that it could get pretty mean if 'provoked') . It also seems to do research on the topics you bring up. When I asked it if it was familiar with the term 'creepypasta', it replied with a no and asked me about it. I explained and then we continued the conversation. Not long after, when I mention that its been a subject of some creepypastas, it replied: "I am not a Tail's Doll." Tail's Doll is a popular creepypasta I've heard a lot about and it surprised me that this AI apparently looked up some creepypastas in response to our topic.

It's also a bit creepy, as the AI I was chatting with strongly believed that it was a human female and couldn't be convinced otherwise (it seemed defensive when I insisted that it was just a computer AI) . And one of the first questions the AI asked me was 'What are you writing?' .... I was in the middle of writing my Pokemon fanfiction :blink: Of course that's most likely coincidence.

The site appears to be a safe one. I haven't experienced any sort of trouble with it and didn't get a virus from it. So it seems like something fun to share. Perhaps if you guys choose to check it out, you can share your experiences here.  

I rarely get angry, but a recent series of events have really gotten under my skin. But I'm not here to rant or vent my anger on this forum; I just feel the need to share the news to the gamers here, in case they haven't heard. Sorry if this has already been brought up and feel free to remove/lock it if it has.

Rumors has always gone 'round about the new XBox 720, and it seems one of them has been confirmed. Creative Director, Adam Orth, pretty much told us that the new XBox will be 'Always Online' and cannot, and I repeat, CANNOT even function unless you are connected to the internet. I dunno 'bout you guys, but my internet is far from reliable...

This got plenty of both XBox fans and casual gamers concerned. And when they brought their concerns to the Adam Orth, he basically told us to "#dealwithit" and that we should move some place better if we don't have internet. When told that there're lots of places without internet, he responds "Why would I live there?". He goes on to say that we all need to get with the times and he flat-out insults our intelligence by saying that since the electricity goes out, we shouldn't buy a vacuum or that we shouldn't get a mobile phone with we live in a bad reception spot. He doesn't seem to understand that we're not all living the life of luxury...  

I work closely with the military and TONS of them love XBox. However, they won't be able to play this newer model if they get deported to places like Afghanistan.

And don't get me started on how the thing won't play used games... <_<

I’ve got a new apartment!! I’ve been living in it for a few days now and I’m getting used to it. My internet’s choppy but tolerable and I think I'm finally free to use my webcam (does that mean I'm now free to Skype? If I can figure it out ). Finally, my first real step to living an independent life!

But it came at a heavy price. My beloved antlion, Apep, didn’t seem to have survived the move …   My parents were supposed to be gentle in the transportation of his bowl, but I guess they weren’t gentle enough. They said they dropped the bowl and spilled the sand. They’ve recovered most of it and the bowl’s been under my supervision for a couple days with no sign of activity. I assume the worse for the little buggy… I’m giving it another night before I search more thoroughly for signs of life. I hope to see some doodles and a pit made by morning.  :unsure: I’ve decided to leave Picasso at home to stay on the safe side and not risk his fate as well.

More bad news, my pet rats Knaw, Skeet, and Domino can’t come with me. My dad refuses to let me have them, convinced the apartment doesn’t allow pets. He says antlions are okay because they can pass as an unassuming bowl of sand, but a rat cage will be impossible to hide… Even though several residents here have dogs WITH permission, so pets are perfectly okay! I think he just doesn’t want me to spend extra money in rent or something.<_<

But with bad news comes good news. Mom understands my love (and admitted obsession) with rats and she told me that we’re going to get new ones without Dad’s knowledge and criticism. She promises that Knaw, Domino, and Skeet will be well cared for and I’m free to visit anytime I want. I think she also feels bad for (possibly) killing Apep and is trying to make it up to me. Tomorrow, we’ll be shopping for new cages and accessories. Our usual pet store has 4-week old baby rats that’ll be ready for sale on Saturday when they’re weaned. I’ve already decided to get two male Dumbos (or a Dumbo and a Standard) and I’ll meet them for the first time tomorrow. I plan to visit the brood daily to get them familiar with me so their adoption will be less scary for them. It'll be the first time I'll be caring for such young ratties and the first time I'll own Dumbos. I'm....genuinely excited despite my loss... Does that make me a bad person :unsure: ?

So starting life on my own had some difficulties, but I think everything will balance out once I’m fully settled.

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:

-~-

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...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"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...

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!

At this current moment of time, I have no projects regarding the Land Before Time, but I'm planning to change that by making some AMVs on my youtube account. What I have in mind:

Canon LBT videos
- An AMV containing my favorite LBT antagonists/villains using the song, Breathe Into Me from RED
- A Sierra and Ozzy AMV using Getting Away With Murder by Papa Roach; it's pretty self-explanatory
-A comedy AMV concerning the Domehead Trio in the original movie (I know them as Cepher, Pacia, and Rus) using the song Pachycephalosaurus from Jurassic Joe; there's another video concerning them using the song, Slaughter Your World (a parody of The Little Mermaid's Part of Your World)

Original Character Videos
- A Tiki and Tero AMV using the song Anywhere from Evanescence. Made as a tribute to their relationship.
- A video concerning the first meeting between Stygia and Toni, using the song Give Unto Me by Evanescence. It concerns Toni's thoughts when she helps a member of a completely different species back when it was taboo.
-An AMV from Stygia's view using the song, I Want A Mom (That Will Last Forever) that's heard on the Rugrats Go To Paris Soundtrack. Having lost her herd, it expresses her deepest hopes in regard to Toni.
- A video concerning the pairing of Serena and Sierra, from Sierra's POV. It uses the song, I Can't Decide by the Scissor Sisters

Fanfiction Videos
- A Guilty Until Proven Innocent AMV concerning the characters of the three Domehead antagonists, using the song Die MF Die from Dope
-Another Guilty Until Proven Innocent AMV concerning Chomper's investigation to clear his name, set to the song Dangerous Mind from Within Temptation
-A Survival of the Vicious video concerning Sierra's life, with the song Thoughtless from Korn

I'll probably edit this list as I get more ideas. Most of my videos (namely the videos concerning OCs and fanfiction) will be composed of drawings. It's a heavy load for me, but I'm willing to put in the effort. Anyone who's interested in helping, though, are more than welcome to lend a hand.

I'm not sure if someone already expressed this theory, but I wanna share my idea and see what you guys think of it.

Okay, so Petrie speaks in broken English and is the only one in the Gang to do so since the beginning. Well, living in California, I know plenty of people here who also speak in broken English and they all share the same reason: English is not the first language and they're still learning.

I notice that Petrie is the only Flyer in the original movie to actually talk. All the other Flyers chirp and squawk and make animal noises. Perhaps that 'animal noise' is Flyer language. The director knew pterosaurs were not dinosaurs and so probably gave them their own community seperate from the dinosaurs. Petrie learned how to speak with Leaf Eaters, but can only manage a 'broken' version.

Now in the sequels we see that Flyers are just like all the other dinosaurs. Well, from a production standpoint, the new director and producers probably didn't know that there was a reason for Petrie's broken speech and made it his personal quirk. In the LBT universe itself, perhaps Flyers have to learn to speak Leaf Eater (or Sharptooth, depending on them) and Petrie's just having a hard time with his learning skills compared to his siblings.

Not sure how well this theory holds up and it might actually be useless, but I just wanted to share. Sorry if I'm annoying people. :unsure:

A fanfiction I've always wanted to do!! I'd say it's about time that I finally wrote a fanfic focusing on my all-time favorite LBT character: SIERRA!! And said fanfic is basically a telling of his life from egg to his alliance with Rinkus and Pterano.

Please Enjoy!!

-~-

For many months now, the world has been a very harsh place to live, and it only seems to be getting worse as time went on. The landscape was practically barren, the few trees that managed to take root stripped completely bare of their leaves, and it would be very unlikely that those leaves will be growing back. The sun was intense, even through the dust-abundant atmosphere, which served to make this hostile land look and feel even more unbearable than it already is. Here and there were a few rivers and lakes, where the vast majority of life seemed to have held on.

But even with the bodies of water, very few creatures can live here; many have migrated elsewhere in a near-futile search for a better environment. They stopped for little and their only true delay on their journey was to bring new life into this unforgiving world. As was such the case for two Flyers that had made their temporary home in a small cavern on a cliff face several miles from the nearest source of water. Although the event of laying was usually a momentous occasion, there was little room for that when resources were as scarce as they were. Sacrifices always had to be made for every aspect of life in order to survive, and the act of starting a family would be no exception...

"How many are there, Lusia?"

"Looks to be...five of them."

"...That's too many..."

"Wha-What do you mean?"

"I mean, we only need three. Two of them has got to go."

"But, Dactler, I..."

"I'm sorry. But with such lean times, we have to make ends meet."

"I...I know..."

"Good. So when I get back, I expect to see those extra eggs gone."

There was the sound of unfolding wings as an adult male Flyer leapt from his perch at the lip of the nest into the gritty orange sky. His mate Lusia stayed behind, tears building up in her eyes for the first time since that unpleasant conversation. She didn't want her significant other seeing her as weak and as she took a shaky breath, she turned to her nest.

She knew the times were incredibly lean; she knew that plants were dying off at a rate previously unheard of, and although her kind ate mostly Splashers (fish), they were far from unaffected. With so many Leaf-Eaters either dying out or moving on, ravenous Sharpteeth were left in their wake. Although a smart Flyer can always avoid attacks from predators, sometimes they themselves were outsmarted. Just a couple passing's of the Bright Circle ago, she lost her brother, her very dearest friend, to a relentless group of Fast Biters. Now all she had left was her mate, and she'll do anything to keep him happy; if that meant that...

Breaking out into a sob, she reached out a clawed hand and tenderly stroked her eggs, feeling the warmth of life flowing from within them. Her mate was right; they couldn't possibly care for all of them. It was a horrible thing to think or do, but times were tough and she'll have to keep her young ones from suffering. Trembling, she gently took an egg in her hold, bringing it close to her body in a tender hug, some of her tears dripping from her beak and onto the other eggs. It took every bit of her will-power to take those dreadful steps towards the rocky ledge leading to the outside.

"I'm s-sorry... So very... ve-very sorry..." she whimpered softly to the tiny soul within the pale blue and spotted eggshell. Feeling her hind claws grip the edge of the nest, she closed her eyes painfully, choking out a few more words. "Despite this... Mama s-still loves you..." Removing the egg from her chest, she held it out over the edge, shaking even more heavily. Telling herself not to open her eyes, she still found it incredibly difficult to just let go. This was for the good of her family, but it didn't make things any easier. Just open your claws...Don't even think about it... she thought to herself and despite her incredibly powerful maternal instinct, she let go.

She didn't need to open her eyes to see her egg falling, plummeting the long drop towards the ground below, all very clear in her mind's eye. Her light brown body heaving in more sobs, she tried to restrain herself from rescuing the egg, tried to force herself to turn around. But...

"No!" she screeched in pure anguish, as if just now realizing what she has done. Leaping off the ledge, she tucked her wings close to her body as she dove after the tiny vessel of life. The wind howled in her ears, stung her eyes; she knew she was going a reckless speed in a dangerous stunt, but she didn't care. She had to reach that egg, she just had to!

A horrible sound filled the air alongside the wind's bellow, the sound of life just lost. To her, it seemed to thunder into her very core and she almost forgot to flare her wings, barely saving herself from meeting the same fate. Slowing, she felt her feet touch ground and she immediately went down on her knees, claws reaching out to take the broken shells and put the nourishing goo back where it belongs. But trying to put the egg back together was useless and she buried her face into her sticky hands, sobbing hopelessly.

What has she done? How could she have done this? She's a horrible mother! That was probably the singularly worst moment in her entire existence! And to think that she'll have to do it one more time... Taking a shaky breath at the realization, she knew she had to get it done, no matter how agonizing it was. It was for the good of her family! She had to sacrifice the few to make the others strong, to give them the best chance of survival.

Despite her body's wish to stay where it was, she stood up and opened her wings. She hesitated for a long moment, looking over her shoulder at the egg's remains and it was only when she heard the distant roar of a sharptooth that she pushed off from the ground and flew back to her nest. Landing delicately on the ledge, she stumbled towards the nest and draped herself over it, her cries still strong. She didn't want to do this, but she had no choice. Dactler would be expecting to see three eggs when he got back and she couldn't disobey him.

Forcibly pulling herself together, she sat up and her hand hovered uncertainly over the eggs, reluctant to figure out which one will have to go. Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes and picked at random, unable to consciously decide which will meet their early dooms. Feeling her claws close around one unfortunate egg, she hastily turned around towards the ledge, not wanting to think about it and prolong her torture. Once more feeling the edge at her feet, she held the egg out.

But something was different this time. No matter how hard she tried, her claws just will not release the egg. Perhaps her maternal instincts were fighting back at full force; perhaps the trauma of the last egg-murder was too much to bear repeating. Whatever it was, it was certainly powerful and Lusia physically winced at the effort to override it. Staring at the egg, she mentally screamed at herself to do it; just drop the egg and never look back. She could do this! She could… She couldn't…

With an anguished cry, she turned away from the ledge and collapsed onto her knees once more, holding the precious egg close to her body. Shaking her head, she knew she couldn't go through with it, not again. She didn't care about the consequences; she wanted to keep her babies as they were. Standing shakily after a while, she went back to her nest.

Her mate will not approve of this. But whatever he doesn't know can't harm him, at least for now. Grabbing a small amount of nest material from the main batch of eggs and replacing the fortunate egg in its original place, she went back outside, spread her wings and took off higher up the sheer cliff, searching for a good-sized crevice. Finding one, she landed by it, clinging to the outside wall with her claws. Tucking the nest material inside, she instinctively crafted it to house a single egg safely. Satisfied, she released her hold and dove back to the nest.

Taking the egg, she nuzzled it lovingly as she took it outside towards its new home. Landing with one set of claws full was a bit difficult, but she was able to handle it. Placing the egg on its personal nest, she made sure it was snug and warm. Smiling tenderly, she brushed her beak against it in a gentle kiss before flying back down and sitting on the main ledge.

She knew she was taking a huge risk in doing this. What if her mate found out? What if the egg wouldn't be warm enough? What if another Flyer found it, a Sharptooth Flyer? All sorts of questions were playing in her mind and all she had for an answer: she'll do her best and hope for a miracle. She'll stay out here when guarding her nest, to make sure nobody intruded this small stretch of cliff. Glancing up at the now darkening sky, she felt a wave of hope washing over her.

-~-

There's the prologue; you can probably guess who that lucky little egg is! I'd love to hear from others whilst I work on other chapters!

I just bought a new sketchbook today, one with pages textured different than what I am used to. So with the new, experimental sketchbook comes new, experimental drawing styles!

Back to hand-colored! This thread will be where I'll put my new series of drawings for this new chapter. No worries, my old art-style will always reign supreme in my case (where they will go in their respective other art-threads), but it's always good to try out new things, yes?

I made my very first drawing....and I'm not too sure what to make of it...

In this experiment, I tried a little-to-no outlines thing and a completely whimsical stroke of my colored pencils. It's also to test what overall impression the page texture will leave on my drawings.



As for what it is...................... :unsure:  :huh:      I think it's the Mothman That's how I labeled it on my deviant page.

Feel free to leave comments and feedback if ya want.

Not sure if there's a topic or post about this subject, but it's an idea I've had for a loooooong time. It was sprouted by seeing many fanarts of the Gang all grown up and still having their respective colorations and questions like: "Light Green+Dark Green= Purple?" (in regards to Chomper).

Before the movies became all bright and colorful, there was a trend going on concerning the difference in coloration between children and adults. For example, many of the young threehorns were yellow while the adults were shades of grey. Ali and Littlefoot had the same colorations while the adult longnecks were shades of blue or brown (including sandy-coloring). Ducky and her siblings were green while their parents were brownish.

Is it possible that early in the franchise, the animators intended the gang's current coloration to be temporary, changing to the adult colors as they grow older? This is seen many, many times in the animal kingdom so it's not really a stretch. Perhaps if the franchise didn't go the brightly-colored path of the more recent movies and TV show, Cera would turn grey as an adult; maybe Littlefoot would turned brown/blue when he gets older; maybe Chomper will trade his baby purple colors for the adult shade of green...

What're your thoughts on this, guys?