~The Tale of Two Foes: Curse of the Dragon Shard~

Chapter 1

"Dead Man Tell No Tales"

"It looks like a nice party. Why must we be so harsh? Let the mortals have their fun."

"The Empress wants the Shard, and so we do as we are told."

"But it is a wonderful party."

"…A wonderful party full of mortal snobs."

"Daisy."

A lock of brown hair fell to the young woman's face. Her blue eyes had a sparkle of anger as well as confidence. The woman pushed her hair back, but it eagerly fell forward again. "We're here on business for the Empress, not to socialize. Understood?"

The young blonde next to her nodded hesitantly, but remained silent. She had always enjoyed a good party and seeing one in progress just made her bubble up with excitement, but Daisy was right; the girls were here on business, not to have fun. However, she never said that they couldn't have fun in the progress.

The girls stood still on the rooftop of a building that had a weak foundation. The bricks on the side were falling gradually and the cement had been eroding away over time. In the far distance, there were lights that shone bright. They looked as if they were emanating from lighthouses, but the girls knew too well where the lights truly were coming from. The Royal Reveal, as some might call it, but it did not live up to its title. No one who attended or hosted the party was in fact, royal. The attendants were royal in a sense, for they were rich beyond comparison. They could throw money away to the low-lives that surrounded them 24/7 and still have enough to buy mansions, hotels and possibly a beach while they're at it. It was a party for the rich, hosted by the rich, attended by the rich and provided by the poor. That was how the dark world worked now, since it was the mysterious Empress' orders.

The Royal Reveal was obviously the reveal of something big. The object in question – The Dragon Shard. It was one of the total 4 shards and it was finally seen by the public. When the 4 shards combine, the orb could be used to either help the world or destroy it. Archeologists were still trying to find the other three shards, but with one found, they saw this as a time to celebrate. So they did have a celebration, and a glorious one at that. The spacious ballroom was perfect to fit the dancers and musicians; the chandelier was placed perfectly at the center of the ceiling, and not a single degree off; the lights were golden, setting a light mood; and The Dragon Shard was encased perfectly in a transparent box, for all to see. This was exactly what the girls were after.

Watching the party from afar was such a bore, so Daisy decided it was time to make themselves "decent" and introduce themselves to the crowd. The girls jumped down from the rooftop of the old building, unnoticeable since they were wearing nothing but black at the moment. They dashed over to a dress shop, breaking the lock and letting themselves in.

A servant Toad stood tall and proud as he announced the rich attendants by their first and last names. Every now and again he would announce a middle name, but this was on a rare occurrence. All the attendants had fabulous masks hiding their faces. Everyone knew each other well, but the masks were a nice touch. A group of three strapping, young men gathered around each other, speaking in low voices, not to bring too much attention to them. A man with a smiling mask spoke first.

"It is rather nice to get away from the country life, I suppose. It isn't as if the city is any better, Leo, but it is a nice addition to my memory - should I scan it in the future."

The man he was speaking directly to, Leonardo, only wore a mask that covered his forehead down to his eyes. He was still partially recognizable, but only to those who knew him. "I told you so. You should have listened to me." Leonardo scoffed, but smiled.

"It isn't as if there is anything of interest to do around here. I've seen the entire city, old friend, it is all the same. Darkness surrounds each and every building. There is absolutely no color."

"You just have to know the right places, Dennis."

Dennis smiled behind the mask, "There's no use in cheering me up, Leo."

"Matthew enjoys the city, don't you?" Leonardo turned behind him to see Matthew, who was a tad shorter than Leonardo, staring at the spotlight on the carpet-covered staircase.

Two young women stood tall as the spotlight shone on them. One woman was wearing a simple yellow dress and had her coffee-like hair flow down to her bare shoulders, as the sleeves of her dress hugged the top of her forearms. The woman next to her was wearing a more radiant pink dress that hugged her knees as her long, blonde hair dropped over to one side of her chest. Both of their faces were covered by black masks lined with feathers.

The announcer Toad asked for their names and Daisy presently answered.

"MISTRESS DIANA SAMUEL AND MISTRESS PRESCILA TUANETTE!"

All eyes were soon on the girls as they strode gracefully down the stairs. "You don't see that everyday…" Matthew commented, keeping his eyes on the girls.

"Wow…" Leonardo blinked.

"I suppose you don't, but I'll be on my way. Ciao!" Dennis sneaked slyly away from the boys and made his way to the other side of the ballroom.

"I've never seen those girls before," Matthew recalled, "But…but I feel like I have."

"Don't think about it too much, bro." Leonardo nudged him gently, "You'll strain your little brain. And if anything, we aren't here to talk to those girls, as beautiful as they may be. We need the shard, you said it yourself."

Matthew sighed behind his mask. He nodded in agreement.

The party resumed and the crowd began talking again. As time went on, the shard was drawing less attraction and soon, it was clear of any viewers. Daisy and Peach made themselves scarce as much as possible, even though many were asking questions. Once Daisy caught a glimpse of the shard, she assured Peach that she would give the signal and their plan would be set into action. "Keep your eyes on me," She whispered. Peach nodded and Daisy made her way through the crowd.

Leonardo halted a conversation he was having with another person and his eyes were set on Daisy sneaking her way towards the shard. He followed her and they eventually were face to face by the protected shard. Daisy put her hand out to touch the glass as Leonardo did the same. Their hands both met and soon, their eyes did too.

"Miss…Diana, is it?" Leonardo started.

"Yes. You would be…?"

"Leonardo, but please, call me Leo."

Daisy pulled her hand back and managed a smile. "Well, Leo, I suppose you have a girlfriend or some kind of lover to attend to, so I'll let you be on your way."

"And why would you think that?"

She paused, studying him carefully. "Well, you look like the kind of guy that would already have a girlfriend."

"So now you're calling me handsome?" He smirked.

"No!" She refused.

"Well, Miss Diana Samuel, I'm honored that I would be given such a compliment from a person I don't know."

"Compliment? I never gave you any compliment! I simply told you that you looked as if you were in a relationship!"

"Why Diana," He gasped, "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Never!"

The chandelier lights dimmed accordingly and Leonardo smiled. "I'm afraid that I cannot be manipulated easily, Miss Samuel." Slow music began to play and he put his hand out, "But since we are here and I'm assuming that we both don't have dates, may I have this dance?"

Daisy looked at the shard for a moment, but glanced away. One dance couldn't hurt and she did want to get rid of Leonardo as quickly as possible. She took his hand and they both soon swayed into a dance.

"Your name is Matthew? Interesting." Peach smiled.

"It's not too broad and it's not too common." He replied sheepishly.

"Indeed." She nodded, "My name is rather…unique."

"Prescila…It is pretty 'out there', but it matches you."

"How?"

He met with her eyes. "It matches your beauty, because it is a beautiful name."

Peach blushed, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu as his eyes locked on hers. She could tell there was something more to Matthew, but what exactly was it? Not thinking too much, she gazed over at Daisy, who was smiling and dancing with a man wearing a black mask that only covered his eyes. He too looked familiar, but Peach's memory was a haze. She giggled as she watched her friend dance with the masked man. So much for "not socializing."

"How come I've never seen you before?" Leonardo asked.

Daisy shrugged, "I haven't really gone out much since the darkness spread across the city. It's been a little rough for me."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I actually lost a loved one while the darkness spread."

"That's horrible! Who?"

Leonardo glanced out the window. "An old lover. But she's someplace else now. Someplace better, I suppose." He turned back to her and chuckled, "You know, she actually looked a lot like…" His smile faded, "You."

Daisy quickly glanced away, biting the inside of her cheek. "I guess I just have one of those faces."

He nodded, shaking away the thought. "I guess…"

They danced in silence. Daisy prayed silently that the song would be over soon. It felt as if the song was purposely prolonged for this very reason. "Why are you here?" Leonardo suddenly asked.

"…It's my business, Leo."

"You can tell me. I'm not here just to stare at a stupid shard for three hours."

Daisy arched an eyebrow at his remark. "Then why are you here?"

He smiled mischievously and leaned in closer to her, whispering in her ear. "To steal it."

She gasped and stepped back, threatening to tell the guards. "Unhand me!"

He pulled her closer, keeping his iron grip. She stumbled and tripped, gripping his shirt for support. Their lips were forcefully locked together for a few brief moments. Daisy's eyes widened and she stepped carefully back. There was only one man that she knew who could kiss her and make her legs suddenly go numb. Just to keep from growing any more doubt, she ripped his mask off his face. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat as she studied his face carefully. "L…Luigi?"

"Things are not as they appear to be, now are they, princess?" He smiled and carefully lifted her mask up to her forehead so her face was now visible.

Daisy felt tears swell up in her eyes as she embraced him. "I thought you were dead! The Empress…she…she said she…"

"I know what she said. In order to keep her from finding us, we had to change our names, our fortune and our personalities. But we're still the same at heart."

Daisy stepped back. "Who's we?"

Luigi looked over at the shard, ignoring her question. "I know what you're after, but I'm afraid you can't have it." He looked back and snapped his fingers. Dennis saw this and nodded. He stepped up on stage. "The Dark Empress granted you immortality if you would do as she said, correct?" Luigi spoke quickly.

"Yes."

"And you are here to give the shard to her, right?"

She hesitated.

"Answer me quickly!"

"Yes, yes, yes! But…what does this have to do with us? I finally found you! We can be together!"

"I…" He sighed, "I'm afraid that we can't…It's a matter of good and evil. You, unfortunately, have taken the wrong path."

"I don't…"

She was interrupted as Dennis spoke loudly through the microphone. "Good people of The Dark City! I have come with great news! Your saviors have arrived! Presenting the Master of dimensions…Pleaser of crowds…I am…DIMENTO!" He pushed back his coat and looked like a jester. He kept his mask on and placed his arms out in front of him. The ballroom was soon covered in smoke by his command. No one could see anything, but Daisy could faintly see the outlines of three people running away from the ballroom, holding something. Minutes after the smoke cleared, Daisy looked at the glass case. Sure enough, it was broken. Peach ran over to her.

"This is horrible! We're too late! Who could have done this?"

Daisy didn't respond. She stared aimlessly out the window, clenching her fist. "Daisy?"

She turned around sharply. "Let's go report to the Empress, then."

Leaving her friend far behind her, Daisy sped ahead, so she could remain confused in peace.

Luigi crouched down on the rooftop of a building, miles away from the ball. Dimento and Mario were already ahead, but only Mario noticed that Luigi was behind. "Come on! Do you want to get caught?"

"I'm…I'm coming."

Dimento held the shard perfectly in his hands. "Ah, finally. The second Dragon Shard in our possession. I wasn't lying when I told you two that I had changed. I'm for the good guys now."

"I guess you really weren't. Nice job with the smoke back there." Mario complimented.

"It was nothing. A simple parlor trick, that's all."

"Guys…" Luigi muttered.

"Yeah?" Mario responded.

"I…I saw someone…at the party…"

"Who?" Mario was now interested.

"It was Daisy…She thought I was dead."

"That's what The Dark Empress wanted," Dimento stated, "She wanted all the good guys to be dead. Rather harsh, if you ask me, but I was evil once too. I wanted to destroy all those in my path, after all, dead man tell no tales."

"I know, but…she wanted to shard too."

"But we have the shard now." Mario replied.

"And she is working for the Empress herself." Dimento added.

Luigi looked back, sighing.

"Come on, bro." Mario nudged him. "We're already so far. There's no looking back."

Luigi glanced down. He sighed again, looking focused at the ground. "No looking back, huh?"

"No looking back."

ANOTHER STORY PICK-IT? GEEEEZZZZZEEEE! YOU ARE JUST EVERYWHERE!

Sadly, yes, I am everywhere. I had this story on my mind way back when and I decided to publish it. But, I don't know if it's any good without the prologue. I would've released that, but I couldn't find it. There was no way that I would retype the 3,000+ words I had on there, so I just didn't.

YOU LAZY BUTT!

I know...I know.

THIS BETTER BE SHORT!

Heh...about that...This story is going to be pretty long, at least I'm hoping it will be, if I pace myself.

Like it? Hate it? You tell me!

WHY IS DIMENTO OUT OF CHARACTER?

Because I can't fully capture his character. I actually don't get his character. He's upper-class but also burly...my little mind just doesn't get it.

SINCE DIMENTO IS OOC, I'M NOT GOING TO READ THIS STORY!

Go ahead. Be my guest and not read this story. That's just one more idea of mine that you'll never read.

WTF IS GOING ON?

It would've been explained in the prologue, but I couldn't find it. :( So, everything will be further explained in later chapters.

WILL YOU EVER WRITE A K OR ANOTHER K+ STORY?

Ugh, good question. I actually find it more comfortable to write T rated stories.

I HATE YOU!

Well I'm sorry that I couldn't be little miss perfect for you.

Now, if you will kindly excuse me, I have a BroBot to build. *puts on mask*

Click my profile for more stories by me! Leave a comment, review, favorite, follow, PM me if you want to know anything and, as always, I will see YOU...in the next update! BYE-BYE!