31AN: Well, Power Surge Redux is getting close to finished. If you haven't read that story yet, or at least read the original version, I recommend checking that out. The reason I say that is because I am going to be trying up the loose ends I left there. And in Runaway Reptile. And Soul Swap. And kind of Split Mindset. So, anyway, here is Pain of the Past; a story that I have been building up since the very beginning.
Chapter 1 The Grave and the Ghost
Lemmy rolled down the hallway of the Grand Hall on his circus ball. Today was a beautiful day, a happy day. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the littlest Koopaling was just ecstatic that such a day could occur in the Koopa Kingdom.
Anyway, as Lemmy rolled down the hallway, he was singing a song. This song was a very special song, as it was one that he had worked on with Ludwig. It wasn't finished, nowhere close, but it was still fun to sing and hum. What's more, the rhythm and the melody helped him keep his balance on his Circus ball. Not that he needed it; he was pretty skilled with the balancing act by now.
Lemmy left the grand hall and made his way toward the entrance hall. He was both delighted and surprised to see Ludwig standing by one of the windows. He was looking out of it at the bright, sunny landscape, yet he himself looked a little dejected.
"Top of the morning to you, Ludwig!" Lemmy said as he stopped and did a handstand on the ball. Ludwig looked back toward him with the tiniest traces of a smile.
"You said that to me when we woke up."
"Huh. You're right; I guess I did." Lemmy did a backflip off of the ball and landed like a cat on the carpet. He beamed at Ludwig as he spread his arms out like an Olympic gymnast. "Ta da!"
Ludwig chuckled a little.
"Bravo," he said. He directed his attention back toward the window. While he did, all evidence of previous happiness completely evaporated. There was a sadness in his eyes that was strong enough to dampen the atmosphere around him.
"Hey," Lemmy said. He walked forward and placed his hand on Ludwig's back, as he wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulders. "You okay?"
There was a pause as Ludwig kept looking out the window. What exactly he was staring at, Lemmy did not know. Ludwig could have been staring at anything. Or nothing.
"Yeah," Ludwig said. "I'm just...lost in thought, I guess."
Lemmy slowly nodded.
"Okay, that's fine." He smiled. "Hey, do you want to hear a joke?"
Ludwig slowly turned back toward his younger brother, a smile creeping like ivy onto his face.
"Sure."
"Great! Okay, what is the difference between tuna, a piano, and glue?"
Ludwig thought about this before shrugging. Lemmy's smile grew brighter.
"You can tune a piano, but you can't piano a tuna!" he said.
Ludwig looked a little confused.
"Okay. But what's that got to do with the glue?"
"Ah," Lemmy said quietly. "I knew you'd get stuck there."
Ludwig chuckled a little bit.
"That's a good one, Lems."
"Thank you," Lemmy replied. He dismounted his Circus ball. "Anyway, I'm gonna go play with Charles. Do you want to come?"
Ludwig's eyes travelled back and forth between Lemmy and the window.
"Maybe later, Lemmy. There's something I need to do first."
Lemmy nodded.
"Okay," he said happily. With that, he rolled away.
…
Ludwig flew to the edge of the Koopa Kingdom, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Today was a very important day, and not for any of the right reasons. It was an anniversary, an anniversary that Ludwig wished didn't have to be observed.
Ludwig looked down at the bouquet of flowers again. They were ice flowers. Ice flowers were native to World 3, what with the chilly and snowy climate of the region. Ludwig always bought ice flowers for this occasion. After all, they had been Aria's favorite flowers.
Ludwig focused on the way ahead again. He couldn't think of Aria right now. Doing so would cause him to become teary eyed, and he had to focus on getting to his destination.
The destination in question was on the very edge of the Koopa Kingdom, just on the border of World 3. Despite the fact that World 3 was snowy, the border between that world and Ludwig's homeland was a foggy forest. In fact, it was so different from World 3 that Ludwig often called it "World 3.5." Ludwig landed on the edge of the gloomy forest. Purple fog obscured the path, but Ludwig knew the way. He traversed this path annually, ever since he was seven years old. He wrapped his blue cloak tighter around his body, for while World 3.5 wasn't as snowy as World 3, it was still cold.
Ludwig kept walking forward. He felt like someone was watching him from the shadows, but he wasn't worried. That feeling was always present whenever he came here. He did not let the feeling distract him from getting to the graveyard. Ludwig slowly opened the gate telekinetically and entered reverently. As he passed the graves, he read the names. Half of them were familiar, half were foreign.
Finally, Ludwig got to the grave he had been looking for. He used his hand to wipe away a layer of dust. This allowed him to see that the name said "Aria Shellcreep." Ludwig let out a breath and placed the bouquet in front of the headstone.
"Don't worry, Aria," he said quietly. "I'll make sure that you'll never be forgotten."
Ludwig stood still for a minute, absorbing the cold, purple air. His breathing was silent. His heartbeat was still. Time itself seemed to be holding its breath, for it knew that moments like these were sacred.
Finally, Ludwig turned and left the graveyard. He thought he heard rustling in the trees, but again, he wasn't worried. It's probably a mouser or something, he thought.
Ludwig got back to the gate and closed the door, locking it in the process. When he turned around, he gasped in shock. He saw a purple, shadowy version of himself, standing right in front of him. The shadow aimed a bolt of light at the special. Ludwig gasped for air as the light over took him. He tried to scream, but the pain was too intense.
Finally, when the light was gone, Ludwig collapsed to the ground. He saw that his hands were see through, transparent. He stood up and saw that the shadowy figure of him was no longer a shadow. Ludwig tried to yell at it, only to find that no voice escaped his lips. He put his hand to his throat in fright.
"Yeah," said the figure with his voice. "There's no point to screaming, so I wouldn't bother."
With that, the figure flew away. Ludwig tried to follow, but he found that he no longer had the ability. Just like with his body, the duplighost had stolen his powers.
