Archive of Our Own ^beta

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They are in excruciating pain. If they had eyes, they’d be streaming with tears. If they had teeth, they’d be gritting them hard. They have neither, and never did.

They- Can they even call themselves that anymore? Their pencils are gone for good: they – it – will never reload again. All that remains is a twisted, broken frame it still, wracked with pain, drags along the ground in a desperate attempt to do something, anything, to repay this monstrosity done to its self.

Its own Rainbow Roll, used against it in such a manner, had been humiliating. But to then stop midway through, leaving it like this – that was sheer cruelty. The least he could have done was finish them off at once, but he hadn’t even granted them a quick death. It can’t help the bitter thought that this would never, could never, have happened had Mario been a sidescroller. As he should be. A sidescroller Mario would jump on them, and that would either do them in or not. No half-measures.

Worse yet, he still won’t finish it. He’s just running around seemingly aimlessly now, leaving it crawling after him in abject agony. Is he enjoying its suffering? Is that what this is? Savouring the pain of a foe who can’t do anything about it anymore? Who no longer poses a threat? How sadistic of him. It’s never heard anyone speak of such a thing about Mario. Is this the true face of the hero of Mushroom Kingdom? If so, it hadn’t wanted to find out.

Just end it. Just end it already! Please. It’s too proud to beg out loud, even now, but in its mind there’s only an endless litany of prayer. “As long as there’s life, there’s hope?” Ha! What a joke. It can’t do what it was created for, shattered beyond repair as it is. No more art. Ever. What it has made before will all be erased – it has no illusions otherwise. Even if it brought him down and protected the streamer, there would be no relief for it. Its king has sacrificed it for his own purposes. Its best hope is that its brethren will not meet similar fates.

At last, Mario turns towards it with a new purpose in his movements. As he raises his hammer, all it can feel is relief. Its last thought as the hammer comes down is ‘Finally’.

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This… doesn’t feel right.

Of course- of course they had to fight the coloured pencils. He- it? They? Had been trying to kill them, and stopped them from taking down the streamer. They have to take down the streamer and stop her brother.

But this… watching the broken pencil case dragging itself after Mario, Olivia can clearly see it’s in pain. Surely Mario can see it too. Why… why would Mario just stop like that? And why didn’t he immediately finish the fight when he saw the barrage hadn’t been enough? Why isn’t he finishing the fight?

She doesn’t… she doesn’t understand. It makes her feel uneasy, yet she doesn’t know what to say or do. So she says nothing. She does nothing. Just watches her hero, her friend torment a helpless enemy.

It feels wrong, but Mario’d know best what was the right thing to do here, right? Yes, she’s sure this is just some kind of misunderstanding, that there’s a perfectly fine explanation. She just doesn’t see it because she’s so new to this. He’s done this heroing thing before, fought countless enemies and triumphed over them. That’s how she knows they can reach her brother.

…And then what? Have Mario do… this to him? She doesn’t want him to die, obviously, he’s her brother, but the idea of him being reduced to this… painful hobbling is worse by far. She doesn’t think Mario would do that, but then again… she hadn’t thought Mario would do this, either.

She doesn’t have the answers. How could she, when she’s barely had a chance to begin understanding this world? So all she can do is trust Mario to lead the way. She doesn’t have an alternative. She doesn’t have a choice. Even if it makes her feel wrong. Even if it makes her feel useless. Even if it makes her feel just as helpless as poor Coloured Pencils. Maybe he deserves this. He’s been holding everyone in the tower hostage, and that’s not right. …But does that make this right? She’s not so sure.

At last, Mario turns and raises his hammer high. As he brings it down on the helpless pencil case, she feels… relief. Hopefully they can move on now, and not do… whatever this was, again. They can just… pretend it didn’t happen. A one-off, with no repeats.

She can only hope that will be the case.

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This is wrong. This is wrong!

Inside his mind, Mario is screaming, but of course none of that makes it out of his mouth. Nothing ever does.

It is his arms that have made this happen. His arms that grabbed the pencils and slammed them down on the case. His arms that stopped before the deed was done. He feels culpable. He feels responsible.

Even though he knows better. He’s not in control. He never was. The force controlling his every move in battle and much of the time outside of it during his adventures – that’s the one to blame. No one else knows about it. He has no way to tell them. He doesn’t think they’d believe him even if he did.

But it’s real all the same, and holding him hostage. It’s not that bad most of the time – they seem to be of one mind with him about saving the princess and the kingdom, at least – but now…

Whatever he had expected, it hadn’t been this. The cruelty of leaving a living, feeling being – yes it’s a pencil case, no that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel pain – in this state… he can’t comprehend the motive. This doesn’t help with his- with their? mission. If anything, it’s slowing them down. Maybe they’re genuinely enjoying this, but Mario’s not entirely sure that’s it, either.

There’s just something breathtakingly thoughtless about this. Like they’re not seeing the suffering they’re causing, or not comprehending it for what it is. To Mario, it’s very clear. But he can’t be certain it’s the same for them. He doesn’t know what they are. Not really. Not how they perceive the world, not how they think. All he knows for sure is the control they have over him.

At last, the torment comes to an end. His hammer is raised (willingly, as one,) and comes down again, hard, on the pencil case. It’s enough. The blackened, broken case spits out some final words of resentment at him and, finally, dies. Mario’s not particularly bothered by that: this isn’t the first time he’s killed in defence of Mushroom Kingdom and its people. No, it’s how drawn out that death was that bothers him.

He resolves to honour it the only way he can. Olivia couldn’t remember its name, but Mario knows he will. It’s the least he can do for Jean-Pierre Coloured Pencils the 12^th.