digibutter.nerr

[Celeste Dimentia]

Bah! It was late, and I was bored. SO, I decided to try and write one of the scenes from a past Paper Mario game with an entirely new perspective... enjoy!

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An awfully long time ago... in a strange and far-off land, a big, bustling town thrived. It was a town where all people lived very happy lives. And it was said that the town was very prosperous.

But one day... tragedy befell this blessed place. A great cataclysm struck the town and its people. Darkness filled the skies, and the earth roared and shook. It was as if the very world had come to a violent end. And in but a single night... the town sank into the depths of the earth.

Many moons rose and set... stories of the town passed into the pages of fairy tales... and when the town's site no longer held relics of its past, people gathered at that spot and built a new town.

But word soon spread among the people who moved in... that an ancient city lay deep underground... and that a magnificent treasure rested there.

Indeed... this is the tale of the fabled treasure of Rogueport.

Yes, this is where it begins, in the sea town of Rogueport. The tale of the quest for the legendary treasure... and the Thousand-Year Door... starts here.

Princess Peach strode into the bustling town square of Rogueport, feeling, admittedly, very much relieved.

"Finally! I have a minute without Toadsworth watching over me! He's so paranoid! I come all the way here on holiday... only to be stuck with Toadsworth! It's so stifling! Once in a while I'd like the chance to look around on my own and see what I want."

The princess turned this way and that, suddenly allowing the derelict settings to register with her completely.

"But... now that I'm doing it, all I see is that this town has a very... umm... distinct flavor..."

From beneath his long cloak, Dimentio watched the princess carefully. Perhaps she would be able to unlock the map... the only treasure that had been left to him by his mother, Rosetta, after her death. Indeed, the circumstances of acquiring this box had been most unusual. A secret chamber inside Spinside Palace had been the mysterious box's hiding place, and it had annoyed him greatly when all of his efforts to open the box proved completely useless upon claiming it. Even his strongest magic could not break open its seal... but this girl... perhaps she held the power to do so. If he could exploit her weakness... use it to his own advantage...

"Oh, Missy... Missy..." Dimentio called softly, maintaining the focus of his gaze upon his newest victim.

Peach turned to face the cloaked jester, looking quite startled.

"Do you mean... me?!?"

Dimentio gave a slight nod. "Yes, you, Missy! Won't you buy something? I have a wide assortment of knickknacks and doodads!"

He was not, of course, interest in making any coins. He already knew which item would attract his unwitting 'customer' the most, for he had cast a most alluring charm upon its shining surface...

Peach took a good look at the collection of odd items. "Oh! Well... umm..." Suddenly, she gave a slight start of surprise as her eyes fell upon a most dazzling object. She moved closer, to get a better look at the strange thing. "Well, that's a pretty box! What's inside it?"

Dimentio smiled inwardly, reflecting the amused grin he wore upon his mask, though the Princess could see neither, concealed as he was beneath his cloak and hood. The Shadow Sirens had been most helpful in assisting him to obtain the box. It was fortunate that the last few remaining Origini and the Shadow Tribe were on relatively good terms.

"It is said that this box holds a map that shows where a legendary treasure sleeps..." Dimentio spoke in his mistiest voice, watching the princess closely. Was 'love' truly the key to creating the perfect world?

Dimentio shook his head, pressing on. "But the box has a magic lock on it that will only open for a pure and noble heart. As you can see... It won't so much as budge if one such as myself touches it..." Dimentio tried one last time to prise open the box himself, in vain.

Peach's gaze was fixed upon the box. She appeared spellbound, and when she responded to Dimentio's fruitless efforts, her voice sounded almost distant. "Oooh..." she muttered, her eyelids flickering slightly.

"I know," claimed Dimentio, in a tone of mock inspiration. If the box will open for you, Missy, then you may have whatever is inside. I am sure that whatever is in there would be of no use to someone like me," he added, smirking beneath the shadowy folds of his hood. "So, Missy... Take this box in your hands and see what happens..."

Peach gave a small nod, with only the briefest hesitancy. "Um... All right... What's the harm? I'll try to open it," she claimed softly, taking the box from Dimentio's gloved hands and holding it gently in her own.

She gave a startled shriek as quite suddenly, the box's hinge creaked upwards, opening the container and spilling forth a flood of blinding light. As it consumed her fair form, Dimentio thought nothing of how her pure heart had helped to do what he himself had been unable to... instead, he saw her to be nothing but a tool with a few extra features, all to be exploited for his own purposes, of course.

She was the perfect sacrifice, for her weak heart, tainted as it was by love, would be easily manipulated by the Shadow Queen's power. Desire and care for others would instead give way to a lust for power... and when that happened at last, he, Dimentio, would have access to the Shadow Queen's coffin, which held the Darkest Essence - a mysterious power that would surely result in the removal of his mask - one that had been instilled by the four Legendary Heroes of old, when they had used the Crystal Stars to banish the cruel queen.

And once he made that power his - indeed, a mix of the Shadow Queen's own essence and that of the Crystal Stars - Dimentio would take his rightful place as ruler. The Shadow Queen reborn would be strong, yet heavily reliant upon a living host - one that held a heart weakened by love, no less. It would be easy for him to overpower her... for only someone with enough true brilliance and skill could do so.

Someone... with magic!

[Zelnor]

Although clearly an Alternative universe Fic, trhis is brilliant. We would've noticed if it was Dimentio, because A) wasn't thre a lock of hair from under teh cloak ? and b) he'd be floating. xD Youre good at this, yes, you are...