Hi again. It's that one guy nobody cared about!

Well, I painted Grace, one of the characters in my series. I think that it turned out pretty good despite the fact that I had never actually painted a character in Art Academy before.

I might just start posting on this site again If you care enough, stick around for some Heroes of the Mushroom Continent!

Definitely haven't been posting very much at all. Should I just get a Tumblr? Nobody looks at this site.

But in no way am I abandoning my site here. I still do art once in a while. I just don't do it all the time.

However, I did get around to finishing up this image. Yes, yes, I know the lighting is completely off with the character and the background, but I was rushing to get a background and didn't exactly look very hard. This is a nonspecific bartender that the characters can run into later on, amongst many different kinds of them. They are prominently seen around the town of Dockton, however, in large and unordinary numbers...

Anyways, I'll post a new chapter sooner or later... if anyone actually reads them. Maybe I should just get a Tumblr or something.

-WhiteYoshi

Meet Grace.

Currently unmentioned in any of the official Yoshi Legacy chapters or animated episodes, Grace is a mysterious figure that emerged on Yoshi's Island the night that it was pulled under the sea by Shadow Yoshi. Nobody understood where she came from or who she was, and she didn't even remember anything of her past existence before her arrival on the Island. However, the inhabitants of the concentration camp that Shadow Yoshi used to carry the captured subjects of King Yoshius IV's kingdom taught her a powerful ability: the ability to cast magic. Not just any magic, however. It was... the ancient magic of the taint... Dark Magic.

She was hinted at by one of the characters in this series, but her actual name was not provided. Apparently, she had been very troubling to these individuals, so they were forced to put her down. But who is Grace? Keep reading to find out.

A Tale of Two Heroes: Prince Edward or Princess Eliza?

          Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent, the web series written on this site, only features a young prince by the name of Edward as one of the main protagonists. Traits that he calls his are innocence, naïvete, and heavy compassion for even small animals. However, a part of the game I am developing off of this web series will allow players to choose between Prince Edward and a Princess, Eliza, to enjoy the story with. Although readers of the series here are familliar with Prince Edward's personality, Princess Eliza is a lot stronger in terms of will, yet just as unfamilliar as Edward is with the outside world. Both will react differently to events brought upon them, and they will have different stat strengths, weaknesses, and abilities, as well as different special move charge triggers.

If you haven't done so yet, read Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent: Chapter 6. It's right below this post. Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

-WhiteYoshi_YL

I totally didn't just make this image in MSPaint. Totally.

Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Chapter 6

          Sunset was strangely quite short, unlike how I remember it from the island. Perhaps it was simply my sense of urgency that made time move faster, but whatever the cause, a moon-less night filled the sky. My newfound companion who had been hard at work on a pile of sticks lit it ablaze at last, and we took a seat on some logs we dragged up from the vicinity. "Doesn't it seem a bit excessive to run all the way out here and build this in the middle of the woods? It'd be a lot easier to keep track of the path if we had just camped on the outside of the road, right?", I thought out loud as the flames poured light all around us.

         "Well, that just proves how little you know about this land, Edward. Had I not come along with you, you'd have been dead meat out here for sure.", Pengy replied.

         Really? I would have died out here? How does she figure? I have a way to defend myself. I checked my bag to find that trusty... wooden... huh. I suppose I wouldn't have very good odds of surviving after all, for all I found in terms of weaponry in there was my wooden training blade. She looked at me rummage through my belongings with a look of slight dismay and inquired, "That all you've got?". Sadly, it seemed as so, and I nodded rather pathetically.

          "I seriously doubt that your stick of a sword would do any damage against the bandits that lurk the continent. A bandit attack's what most likely would have killed you out here, as it would have for anybody else who walks the paths at night.

          "What's a bandit?", I asked. "Are they some kind of beast?". I was met with a look of disbelief from my comrade, who let out a sigh.

          "They're thieves. Robbers. Most of the time, murderers. Bad Yoshis or Koopas.", she replied with a bit of sadness and worry in her tone. "They like to travel in groups, where they're most deadly. They've been all over the place ever since a few weeks ago, and they stop at nothing to take everything people have from them. Once in a while, peoples' lives are taken with their belongings."

          A shiver went up my spine. "T-They kill people!?", I shouted, which prompted Pengy to leap up from her seat and cover my mouth with her hand.

          "Shh! Do you want them to hear us? I pulled us off of the path to keep us away from them!", she urgently whispered to me.

          I sat back down and took a deep breath. If a group of bandits were to be upon us, we most certainly wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. At best, my entire pouch would have been gone, Pengy's belongings would have been taken as well, and we both would have been stripped naked by money-hungry thieves. I lent my ear to the surrounding vegetation, and to my horror, I began to hear some intense shaking from the bushes nearby.

          "Edward... you've doomed us both. They're coming right now!", she yelped, as she drew an iron knife from her waist. Determined that we would make it out unscathed, I attempted to pre-empt the confrontation, and I swung my sword into the bushes as a figure began to emerge from them. However, to my surprise, it wasn't a Yoshi or a Koopa at all. In fact, it was a gelatinous, somewhat slimy being of white color, and a blank, emotionless gaze from its eyes. Its stare wasn't so bereft of feeling for very long, and its eyes curled into a scowl of rage. It leapt up and down furiously as I withdrew my wooden sword from its top. I looked over at Pengy, who had a relieved expression upon her face and replacing her knife into its sheath. "It's just a blob, Edward. They're near harmless; you can put away your sword." I began to sheath the blade in my pouch, but the outraged blob had called for a few friends. Three more blobs had emerged from the shrubbery, and they leapt upon us all at once. Quickly drawing our weapons again, Pengy and I readied for the confrontation that ensued. With a few sword swipes and footwork, we evaded most of the blobs' attacks and dispatched them all without too much of a struggle.

          As I looked upon their now lifeless bodies, an overpowering feeling of shame filled my chest. I hardly heard Pengy's next mutterings as she began to take a look at the minor wounds I had incurred from the battle. I had just started a fight that I could have prevented. Those creatures were probably rather docile, and I had killed them for nothing. My forethought to attack first ended not only the lives of these otherwise-peaceful creatures but also my innocence and compassion. Tears of guilt began to run down my face, to Pengy's surprise. "Whoa, Edward. Are you all right?", she asked with clear concern in her voice.

          "Don't you see what we've done? I just started a fight with a bunch of creatures that wouldn't have harmed us at all had I not struck at them first. We could have prevented their untimely deaths if not for my own fear and incompetence.", I lamented.

          She was taken aback for a second, and hesitated for a while before finally responding. "You... you're right, kid. We could have prevented their deaths." Her face joined mine in a look of sadness and regret, and sat next to me on my log. Her hand touched mine, and she said "Edward, you have a level of altruism that's probably beyond that of anybody I know of on this entire continent. This world... this world isn't ready to embrace this level of love. The dangers and grief that plague this world are far too apparent to rationally allow for the mourning of a few blobs.". Her face changed to a stern expression, and she moved her hand to my shoulder. "If you plan to survive in this world, you'll have to accept some losses like these, or else you will crumble to the weight of this world's terrors." she said.

          My heart sank. I began to sulk as Pengy returned to her log and douse the flames. The words that Pengy had spoken to me were far from comforting, and I felt no better than beforehand. Does tragedy happen so often as she says in this world? I trembled as the possibilities began to fly through my head, and I lay down my head to try to get some rest, despite the powerful feelings present in my mind.

Waited long enough for this? Heh, I bet most of you here had forgotten about me.

Gradients are fun to use.

Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Chapter 5

And just like that, he left. He went and snatched that backpack from my hand, and bolted for the door. For some reason, it was very sad to see him leave like that. Maybe it's just that I'm often lonely out here, far away from civilization for such a long time, but I doubt it was even that. There was just something so interesting about that ragged kid that washed up from the sea. Who knows where he came from, or where he planned on going out there alone? I mean, he barely knew things that I considered common knowledge, yet he was clearly well-spoken enough to seem intelligent. I mean, it's not every day you run into someone who's never even heard of girls before.

I closed the front door, and took a seat at the dining room table. My eyes began to scour the room, looking for something that may be interesting, but behind my vision, my mind was stressed. That kid was just braving the world and its troubles all by his lonesome, and for what? To search for his family and save his homeland, which apparently had ruin brought upon it. What a noble cause, and here I was, just watching this small cottage for my stepfather. Just thinking of the fact that I had a stepfather brings up questions about myself as well. Who was my real father? How did I end up here? The questions persisted.

Minutes later after constant thinking, I became filled with a painful sensation. It was almost like there was something in my chest pushing outward, and I couldn't let it out. I couldn't sit still at all in my chair. All of a sudden, I had this wild thought of running out there and following that kid. "No, no. Your stepfather is going to arrive in a few hours, so there's no way you'd get away with that." "Why would you think you'd find him? He's probably already very far away, maybe lost." "Maybe lost." "Lost."

What happened next was easily beyond my control. I was all of a sudden on the path, bounding at top speed in the direction he had left in. "No, no, no! You'll be in so much trouble!". "What if he was lying and he's doing this on purpose to make you feel this way?". "He couldn't have been lying. He was so sincere!" Constantly, these sort of thoughts flowed through my brain as I bolted down the road, following the footsteps he had left behind.

In all this commotion stuck inside of my mind, I hadn't realized it was almost dark out until I was miles away from home. The only reason this came to me was because I saw his figure, exhausted, yet still pushing forward full force in the distance. I started to close the gab between him and I. Moments before I was within arm's reach of him, he collapsed onto the dirt from fatigue. I heard him murmur, "No... no... Have to keep moving...", accompanied by heavy panting.

I could feel myself hyperventilating as well. He obviously heard me panting, and he rolled around on the ground to investigate its source, his eyes falling upon mine. What was a despaired look originally of pain and exhaustion morphed into a surprised one on his face. The look on his face made me fall over as well, and as I caught myself on my arms, my head peered up and saw his face. He quickly asked me, "Wh-what? Why are you following me?". 

"I couldn't bear... to see you leave alone, kid.", I returned.

"But didn't you say that your stepfather was about to return? He'd be heartbroken to see you gone!", he reminded me.

As soon as he said that, guilt and worry filled my entire body. He was right, I had thrown that thought completely away in my blind rush to seek him. What was I going to say to reply? I sat there for several moments, my lungs tearing my train of thought to pieces. 

As we sat there together, on the ground, our pain mutual, calm swept between both of us. It hit me all of a sudden. I didn't even know his name. Immediately, I sought to remedy this issue.

"You know, kid. I never did catch your name, of all things. Who are you, even?"
He didn't respond immediately. Perhaps it was because he seemed shy about that, but he finally told me, "Edward. My name is Edward."

"My name is Pengy.", I replied with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Edward."

He smiled back. Immediately after my reply, he asked me, "So, why exactly did you follow me? Did I forget something there or-".

I cut him off. "No, nothing of the sort. I... I just...", I stopped and sighed. "I just wanted to join you."

A look of intrigue appeared on his face. "Are you sure, Pengy? I have a feeling that my journey's going to be a long one. I wouldn't want your stepfather to worry about you."

Again about the stepfather thing. But when he confronted me with that inquiry this time, I had no regrets leaving home any more. "He'll be fine. I think he didn't really even pay much attention to me, anyways.", I replied.

"...Really? Your father didn't pay much attention to you, either? My dad-", he began, but yet again, I cut him off.

"-didn't care much about you either. I know, Edward. You told me already.", I said with a smile. "What's your dad's name, anyways?"

"Yoshius. King Yoshius the fourth."

King? So... Edward is a prince? Really, I thought to myself. Why would he be a prince? He's ruggedly garbed in rags and has messy hair. How could he be of royalty? 

"But you don't look anything like a prince, Edward. Are you sure your Father is a King?"

"I don't look like a prince? What do princes look like? And... I don't even know if my father is a King. That's just what my dad's friend, Marcellus, told me to call him."

I didn't know whether to believe Edward or not on this one, but one thing was for certain: I was going with him, prince or not. I had flown past the point of no return, since by now, my stepfather was probably home already. I decided to end the conversation by standing up and offering Edward my hand.

"Come on, let's go, Edward." I said.

"O-okay." he replied, and gave me his hand.

After helping him up, Edward and I began to walk, ever slowly, down the path. Although a part of me still made me think about whether I made the right choice or not following Edward, I knew already the answer.

The door slammed shut with a hollow bang behind me. As soon as I got to the nearest window, I slung my candle and its holder out of it. How dare that Burnie go and say that? Now the plans that I had set up were completely ruined! Shadow Yoshi is now destined to fall, and fall alone to that dastard and his king. My fists balled up in rage, and I slammed them upon the walls of the hallway, but to no avail other than self injury. "The commanders are weak alone. They were meant to work together!", I said out loud. But it was too late changing anything. I took heavy steps toward the end of the hallway when I heard the noise of a door opening from behind me, on the far other end of the hall. Curious as to whom that could have been, I turned around to look. It was none other than the stocky figure of our fourth elemental commander, Rick. He stumbled a few times before finally catching up to me, and immediately began to beg for my forgiveness.

"CLAY! Wait up... I'm so sorry!"

"Hmph. If you wish to know, the other commanders have already left for their assignment."

"Nooooo! I can't believe I missed my first assignment!", Rick whimpered.

This was completely disgraceful. I inserted my boot into his chest, which knocked the unbalanced lard lump in front of me onto his back.

"Shut up, you. The last thing I need is someone to whine at me. Especially you.", I said.

"B-but... what am I supposed to do?"

I sighed, coaxing myself not to spurn him again. I grit my teeth and growled to him, "Why not just ask Shadow Yoshi yourself? I mean, you DID go through ALL THE TROUBLE to get here, right? Might as well TALK TO HIM YOURSELF, hm?", I growled.

"Whoa, Clay. Why are you so mad? What happened?", he asked, which only furthered my rage.

"Just go! You don't need to know, you pathetic excuse of a Yoshi!", I lashed out.

With a look of shock, he leapt off the ground with surprising agility and scrambled for Shadow Yoshi's Throne Room door. Heh, heh... the things fear can do to an individual. Amusing. In fact, I was inclined to listen in on what Shadow Yoshi had to say about Rick's absence from the meeting. I pressed my ear to the door as soon as Rick closed it.

"Your majesty, your majesty! I am here, your majesty!", I heard the fool say loudly.

No response came up to his shout. He shouted the same phrase again, but this time, to a reaction.

"Hm? Is there something here? I don't sense any significant forms of life in this room other than my own." Shadow Yoshi's reply actually got me to chuckle.

"H-hey, come on, Shadow Yoshi, your majesty.", Rick complained.

"Hello, Rick.", Shadow said with a groan. "What exactly do you want?"

"I-I'm here for my assignment. Sorry I'm... late.", he replied.

"Bah. Indeed you are, Rick. But in fact, I don't really even see enough worth in you to care about your absence. I didn't even notice you weren't here.", Shadow Yoshi responded.

"I know I'm not my younger brother, but come on, Shadow Yoshi. Have at least a LITTLE faith in me!", he pleaded.

"Are you sure you still wish to complete your mission for me?", Shadow inquired.

"Yes! Y-Yes! Of course!", Rick stammered.

"Very well. Your mission is to retrieve the Earth Elemental Gem out on the Mushroom Continent. Do not fail me.", Shadow said.

I heard a surge of energy, akin to that of which was heard when the other commanders had been teleported away. Rick was off, away on his mission. Heh. Probably doomed to fail just as the others, just simply more easily and quickly doomed to die. I chuckled to myself of the thought, but that was stifled by my self reminder that my plans were ruined, ruined, ruined. My metal boot made a clang on the wall as it slammed against it, and I left the room hall in a huff.

Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Chapter 4

I swung the door open. Before me lay a long hallway, completely dark. The candle I was holding was blown out by a draft in the room, much to my irritation. Yet, due to the urgency of my haste, I was compelled to continue forward, rather than to retreat to find a new source of illumination.

The clop of my boots on the cold, stone ground made a clatter reverbate throughout the hall. The silence that accompanied my plod would have unnerved most others, especially if they knew of the place I was in. My gaze peered around the walls, and my eyes admired the unnatural purple flame dimly emitting light from the walls. With a slight grin, I continued my trek until I reached a door. My arms quickly pushed them asunder, and I stepped inside.

What was inside was very hard to see. However, I knew it was the throne room of this castle. I threw down my candle, and proceeded to straighten my tattered clothing up. Out loud, I let my presence be known.

"I am present."

An aura was created from the opposite end of the room. The emanation itself distorted light, making everything seem like it was not only monochrome, but inverted in color. And in the middle of that aura was the one I had been called for by. He stared at me, perhaps with a look of slight irritation.

"Well, met... Clay.", he responded.

"Your majesty, why have you called me here?", I demanded.

He placed one arm on his side, and stood up off of his throne. "You recall all of the recent events that have taken place, am I not correct, Clay?"

"Hmph. Of course. A small revolt was issued recently by the people.", I responded.

"It wasn't just a small revolt! It was nearly a full-blown revolution! Their leader, she... she was standing before me in this very room! I had to destroy her myself! She almost succeeded in slaying me, if not for this crown you gifted to me.", he angrily responded.

"Shadow Yoshi, please. I had no idea that such a girl would show her face. Yoshi's Island is foreign land to me. Had I known, I would have quelled it much more quickly.", I replied.

Shadow Yoshi took a seat once again on his throne. His fury was far from quenched, and he followed up with a reminder that the incident also claimed the life of the Captain of his Guard.

I placed my arms behind myself, and let out a small sigh. "He died with honor, fighting for your life, my liege. His sacrifice shall not go in vain, my liege."

His hands formed fists, and he slammed them upon the finely crafted chair he was seated upon. He lashed out at me, "How could you just ignore his death, or brush it off as a small matter? And how dare you act condescending towards me? I am by far your superior, and you should know your place, lest you perish to my power.", he threatened.

"Apologies, my lord. I did not mean to upset you. Please, surrender upon me your request, and I shall be off after fulfilling it.", I said, hoping for some peace from him.

Thankfully, he complied. "Rrgh. Very well. I request a Call to Arms. Bring to me the remaining able soldiers as well as the Elemental Masters. All four of them.", he ordered.

"But of course. I am off, my liege.", I said with grace.

I left, and many minutes later, returned with the requested subjects. I stepped aside, and watched as they all poured into the room. Soldiers of many kinds, all wearing the royal uniform of Yoshius, stepped in uniform motion. They spread into two different groups on the left and right sides of the room, and after the last soldiers entered, three other figures followed. The first was a female Yoshi, with arms on katanas. Her hair was messy, but her expression was very, very proud. Following her was a red male Yoshi, whom gave me a hoodlum-like look to me upon passing me. He was dressed in strange garb, presumably made from animal hide. On his waist was some kind of bow with flame details on it. The final of the three was robed, and held a staff. It was also worth mentioning that his eyes were closed, and he moved forward without emotion.

The three passed by the small crowd of guards and kneeled before Shadow Yoshi in front of him. The girl began to speak first after they all finished paying respects. "What have you called us here for, my leader?", she inquired.

Shadow Yoshi stood from his throne, and his face became solemn. "It's been ten long years since I've come here and conquered this castle. We all recently heard of the uprising that nearly overthrew my hard-earned rule here, am I not correct?

"Well, it's kinda hard NOT to hear about it. All the dudes that live here can't stop talking about it and stuff, Shadow.", the red Yoshi replied.

"Burnie, you pest. I thought we had it clear that I would do all the talking.", the woman said whilst giving him a mean look.

"Well, EXCUUUUUUSE me, Gale.", Burnie responded with a cross look on his face.

"Shadow Yoshi, my apologies. I hope you can forgive this lout for his insolence.", Gale said.

"I honestly care not about it. What I called you here for is to remind you that in order to keep my rule in place, you must hold the people in my rule's grasp more tightly. I am the head that controls you, my arms. Fasten them to my rule, and quench any possible outrages that may come in the future. That is all.", Shadow Yoshi said.

"Now, now, wait a gosh durn minute, Shadow. I almost forgot to mention something I heard from someone today, thanks to SOMEONE here.", Burnie piped up, glaring at Gale, who rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, lemme go on, Shadow. I heard that YOSHIUS was still ALIVE! Yeah, get THAT!", Burnie yelled.

I literally almost had a heart attack when I heard him say that. Sure, the King and his son were still alive, but I was trying to handle that on my own. I didn't need Shadow Yoshi to know, else he'd be thrown into a panic.

"It's a lie! He's lying! Yoshius is-", I tried to blurt out.

"Silence, Clay!", Shadow Yoshi roared. He created a congregation of dark energy in his hand, and pointed it at Gale. "Tell me now, Gale. Is this true or not?" 

Threatened, Gale was forced to let the secret be known. "Yes, yes it is, my master.", she said while taking a knee and lowering her head. "In fact, it's been a problem for a while now."

"Oh, is that so? Why have I been left oblivious to this?", Shadow Yoshi asked.

"It was for your own good, my liege. It was so you wouldn't worry. Yoshius is hardly a threat anyways. He's just a normal Yoshi, while you are practically a god.", I blurted out.

"It was a secret between Clay and I. We were handling it on our own terms.", Gale added.

"And what made you think you could take him down with just your own selves? He could have amassed an army by now!"

"It's hardly possible that he'd be able to drag an army down to the bottom of the ocean. Remember that you live so far below sea.", I replied.

Shadow Yoshi hesitated for a moment, and calmed down. "I suppose you ARE right. I mean, if there's no way for him to get to us, then what fear should we have of him?"

"I heard that he's grabbin' the Elements! These gems are gonna give him ultimate power, and tear us from the ocean floor. He's comin' for ya, I've heard!", Burnie yelled before we could quiet him.

Shadow Yoshi took a quick step back, and his relieved expression turned into one of reeling anger. His reaction was swift.

"I don't want to hear any more of this matter. My orders are clear, my masters. Bring me the elements! Take them, and bring me them! And don't request to be called back here until you have done so!" He then enveloped his commanders in an energy and teleported them away. "As for you soldiers, I hereby order you all to seek out Yoshius and kill him, as well as any who affiliate themselves with him!", he added. The guards were subsequently teleported by Shadow Yoshi as well.

After they had all been whisked away, it was just Shadow Yoshi and I left in the room. His gaze met mine, and he gave me a mean look. "Until further notice...", he said whilst panting in anger, "you are dismissed, Clay."

I picked up my candle off of the floor, and left the room.

Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Chapter 3

"Stupid storm! Something ALWAYS has to happen when I'm about to set sail!"

My stepfather threw his foot against a wall, where, in response to the pain it created for him, he yelped in anguish. He started to hop on one foot as he grasped the foot that was hurting, as things tend to hurt more as you get older, apparently. I just calmly watched on from the kitchen table, getting a few laughs off of my caretaker's stupid move. As I tried to stifle a smile or a small giggle, he turned around and caught me in the act of doing so. His pained expression morphed into an offended one, and he shifted his focus on me.

"What, is this FUNNY to see your old man like this? Huh?"

"No, n-not really. Nope.", I blurted out quickly.

"It'd better not be. Just think about how much pain it would have been for you if I was sent to the nearest clinic for this! Ohh, you'd have nothing to eat for weeks!", he threatened.

My stepfather definitely thinks down upon me as a weakling. Maybe it's because I'm a girl and he's a bit sexist about it, but if he were really to be stuck in a clinic for a few weeks, I'd easily be able to manage finding food for myself or getting my own temporary job. Oh, well. That's fathers for you, really. They just tend to care too much.

After a while, his foot apparently stopped hurting him, so he stood up properly and stretched his arms and legs.

"Well, now that the storm's lifted, I'm 'bout to set sail for Dockton. Gotta carry some wheat and barley over for the Hermans over there. They've ordered a large shipment of it, and their beer is unmached, I've heard. Well, you'd better not do anything stupid and hurt yourself, young woman. I'll be back in a week or less!"

He went in the back to dress in his uniform, and without saying a word in between, left to go to the docks. Well, that's my stepfather for you. Hardworking as usual. I found myself letting out a bored sigh, and I reclined in my chair at the kitchen table, enough to have to put my feet up on the chair on the other side of the table.

After a small while, my boredom got the better of me, and I got up off of my seat to stretch. I decided it was about time to do something interesting. I reached for the door and flung it open. As I marched down the front porch, I began to think about where I could go. Was going to the forest to get some wood and berries a good idea? No, not really... we had a lot of those already. How about the nearby fields? Now, wait a second. The farmers are probably just starting to grow stuff there, and there's no way I would let myself get marked as a thief to them.

After a while contemplating, I decided to just go down by the beach. After a storm comes around, sometimes you can find some useless things that came from somewhere else on the shore. Over the years, I've found a few cheap jewels, emptied bottles of fine wine, and once a strange looking sword with its fancy-looking wood case. I wouldn't dare use it out of respect of its quality, but it's just a nice thing to have hidden around the house. 

"Oh, well...", I said to myself. "Let's have a go at finding something else on the beach."

My trek to the beach was a short one, naturally, since it was my stepfather's job to sail the seas and therefore lived close to it. I got up on the docks to scan the beach when a bystanding sailor approached me from behind. "Hey, young missy. Aren't you the young'un of that crusty old pinkie that left earlier?", he inquired.

"Well, we're not directly related. He adopted me, actually.", I slowly replied.

He let out a hearty laugh. "The poor feller's always tellin' me yer' fragile and all. It's quite obvious you're not. Hee hee heh!", he replied.

"Um... I guess so.", I responded.

"Don't let him put ya down, girl. He's a good man, but you've got a strong will. Don't furgit that."

He gave me a single, firm pat on the back, and left the docks for the pathway above the beach. I just stood there, hand on one hip, just shaking my head in slight disbelief. My stepfather sure has... interesting... acquaintances. I went back to scanning the shoreline for anything interesting.

To my utter surprise, this particular storm had brought in not something, but someone. He had probably just washed ashore, because nobody had seen him yet. I quickly rushed over there to see if he was all right. Sadly, he was unconscious, as I'd expected, and he was probably in terrible condition. Without thinking, I hoisted his body onto my back and dragged him back to my home.

All this time, my mind was reeling with fear over whom this could be, and what happened to him. Was he a sailor that got his vessel smashed at sea? No, he couldn't have been a sailor. He was much too young. He was probably just about as old as I was. I'd say the best he'd have been is a sailor's kid that got stuck in the storm, and he was probably separated from his father. Then again... his rag-like clothing didn't exactly scream 'seafarer' to me.

I slumped him onto my bed upon returning home, and started to press his lungs, removing the water from it. A gush or liquid came from his mouth and ran down onto my pillow. 'That's okay, I'll just let it dry later.', I told myself. He wasn't coming to, so I proceeded to place the blanket over him and let him rest there for a while. 'He'll be fine, he'll be absolutely fine.', I kept telling myself to lower my concern.

'He'll be fine.'

 "Edward! No! Save me, my son!"

My father scrambled to stay up over the waves, but a tentacle grasped him and tore him under the sea. To my disbelief and utter anguish, I yelled out a long, painful 'NOOOOOOO!'. My father's friend Marcellus was grabbed and dragged under as well. But as all seemed to be lost for me, the world went completely blindingly white, and I found myself lying on the ground, or more precisely after observation, clouds. My gaze soon made out the sun glaring into my eyes, as well as three other figures. My father, Marcellus, and this other Yoshi with odd garb, akin to that of a priest's, were all staring over me. They said in tandem,

"Wake up, Edward. Wake up..."

I quickly sat up in surprise. It was all but a dream. My immediate relief was instantly replaced with fear of where I could possibly be at the moment. I was in what looked like a bed, but it was made of a very soft material, and the blankets were not of leather that I was used to. Various different objects sat on a shelf across from me, and it smelled a bit like the sea. All of a sudden, the door on the right side of the room swung open.

I reeled in shock as the figure took a step back in surprise. I let out a fearful scream and leapt out of the bed. I failed to find my footing, however, and I stumbled upon the ground, every muscle in my body aching. As I kneeled before this mysterious figure, they approached me and looked down upon my figure, slowly smiling.

"N-no! Don't hurt me... don't kill me...", I blurted in despair.

"Aww, come on, silly. Why would I hurt you?", they responded.

Not letting my guard down against this strange figure, I backed up from them. As they followed, I continued to back up until I found myself up against a wall. I fell into a pleading position, and begged my assailant to repent. They stopped, and then decided to back up away from me in compliance.

"Geez, you don't have to go crazy over it. All I wanted to do was help you back into bed.", they replied, for some reason, in an irritated tone. They crossed their arms.

I slowly looked upwards to view the figure that I was cowering from. Their build was very, very odd. They were rather thin, had a puffy chest, slim arms, and lots and lots of hair. "Uh... if you're not going to hurt me, then why do you look so... weird, sir?" I muttered.

Their friendly expression turned into an offended one. Arms flying to their hips, they stared me in the face. "Excuse me? Am I a man? I don't think so.", they said.

I was confused by what they meant. If they weren't a man, what could they be? An animal of some sort? As I began to ask more about it, their expression became more and more offended, to the point in which they snapped and said, "Are you an idiot?", and slapped me across the face, like how my father used to when I was a child. I lowered my head and fell silent.

A while passed with me sitting in the corner of the room, on the ground, in agonized horror as my onlooker stood opposite from me. Their expression calmed down and became seemingly friendly after a while. All of a sudden, they spoke. "Have you seriously never seen a girl before?"

"Um-", I started to say, but was cut off.

"Now, wait. that's impossible. What about his mother?"

"...My mother?" I said.

My mother was someone my father talked about. According to my dad, he was a very loving Yoshi, and a lifetime partner to my father. Something bothered me, however, about how my father described him. He would always say "she", as if he was slurring the word. 

"I never knew my mother. He died before I was born.", I continued.

"'He'? 'HE'? Well, I've heard of 'living under a rock' before, but this is ridiculous.", my watcher said. "Look, let me get this straight for you. There are two kinds of genders in this world. Men, and women. Men are addressed as 'he' or 'him', and women are addressed as 'she' or 'her'.

So that's what my father meant by 'she'!

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way. I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were a girl, and I didn't know my mother was a girl. Forgive me!"

She seemed to be amused. A small smile crept across her face, and she went up to me and looked me in the eye. "Can you stop acting so scared and stuff? It's really hard to try and talk to you when you're like that."

I got up off the ground in compliance and took a seat on the side of the bed. She took a seat next to me on the bed and placed her arm around my shoulder.

"So, where are you from?", she started out.

I slowly mustered a response as I tried to free myself from her grasp. "I'm from... an island."

"Ooh, an island? Which one?", she inquired.

"...I don't know! I'm not sure!", I shouted.

"Whoa, calm down. I was just asking."

My head fell to my chest in resignation.

"Let's try another question.", she said. "What happened to you?"

I rubbed the back of my head and felt the sweat running down it. As I racked my brain to find an answer, I suddenly remembered the storm that I had been in. And just then, I remembered everything that had happened.

"...Hello? You got an answer?", she asked me as I thought of an answer.

"Uh...", I started off. I quickly put together what I would say in my mind. "I was in this storm, and our raft crashed, and I don't know where everyone is!"

"Whoa, not enough information, buddy. Who is everyone? You had a raft? Let's spread out the details and explain.", she said.

For quite some time, the two of us discussed my current situation. By that time, I'd pretty much calmed down and was talking a little more normally. My initial shyness dissipated somewhat, and we both found each others' company pleasant.

"So... you were living on this island for nearly all of your life, your father comes up with this weird plan to save your ruined homeland and you all set sail for the continent? And then, you were caught up in that storm and got separated from your father and his friend? You've been through quite a lot recently, huh?", she asked.

"Yeah... it was quite the ordeal. I really hope my family's still alive.", I replied sorrowfully.

"What are you going to do now? I mean, you've been out of consciousness for nearly a week ever since I found you on the beach.", she said.

A wave of shock filled my body. "Oh, dear. It's been that long? I surely must be going!", I insisted.

"Hoooold on, buddy. You aren't going ANYWHERE in the condition you're in right now. You'll just end up in the clinic. You stay here and rest up a little more. Here, I'll make you something to eat.", she said to me, concerned.

"As perturbed as you may be about my well-being, I'll be fine going as soon as possible. I'd probably be a burden to you here, anyways. In fact, I think I should leave now, since they're probably looking for me, too.", I said.

"Where do you plan to go? I mean, you're going to leave this house and go where? The beach? They probably washed up elsewhere.", she reminded me.

"...You're right. Do you know where I should go?", I inquired.

"Well, if you knew where you were going, you'd be able to find Yoshica. That's the town that my stepfather goes to to collect shipping materials, so they have lots of resources there.", she said.

"Could you help me get there? I would really appreciate it if you would.", I requested.

"I'm sorry, bud. I can't leave this house. My stepfather is almost home, and he'll lose it if I'm not here when he comes back. You might have to go alone, I'm afraid.", she sadly replied.

"Very well. Thanks for the hospitality. I must leave now, though. Do you know where my satchel is?", I asked.

"Do you mean THIS satchel?", she asked, whilst holding up the rucksack that I had before I had left home.

"Yes, yes. Thanks.", I said gratefully.

I then left for the front door. I looked back one last time to say goodbye and saw her saddened face. I immediately became gloomy, and felt the need to stay a little longer to keep her company, but I knew what I had to do. With a solemn nod, I turned around and left the house, bound for the town of Yoshica.

Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Chapter 2

"Man, finally!"

I slumped over onto the beach and let the sweat run down my back. As my gaze slowly climbed the wooden vessel that we had crafted gruelingly over the course of countless hours, a sense of relief filled my being. It was beautiful; we had done a very good job of building it. My attention shifted to Marcellus, whom was staring quaintly at me. Both of us feeling exhausted, he followed suit and fell down beside me in a weary heap. The sun was beginning to set in front of us along the sea-line, and a bright orange-ish glow had filled the sky. I let out a large puff of air, and began to smile.

"Do you really think my dad is confident in that book?", I ask Marcellus.

"Sadly, it seems so. Even as the raft edges completion, he can't stop to take a break. He has the spirit of determination that one just cannot deny. Yet, I don't feel bad for His Majesty; I feel good instead, seeing his character changed completely.", he replies.

"I wonder if there's really anything else out there that really matters. I mean, what is the world like away from our island?", I ask with curiosity.

"Oh, Edward... you haven't even begun to see anything. Don't you worry, once you see the world around this island, you'll be an enlightened man. I assure you."

"...'Around this island'? What does that mean?" I ask.

"I forgot to explain. My apologies. This world that we live in, the Mushroom Continent, is shaped like a large ring, with scattered islands in the sea composing the middle of it." Marcellus explained.

"Oh... I see. And since the elemental gems that my father read about are supposedly enshrined around the 'ring' of the Mushroom Continent-" I begin to say.

"-we will be seeing every single part of the world. Yes.", Marcellus finishes for me.

"Wow. That's a lot to look forward to. Although my dad's plan may or may not work, it's definitely going to be a humongous journey, huh?"

"Now, now. Let's not get overwhelmed. Yes, the traveling will be lengthly, but we'll make it eventually, even if it takes years."

"Hey, you two! Why have you stopped helping? Am I the only one who wishes to save our homeland? Come on, come on!", I heard my father calling with a bit of irritation.

"Well, time to get back to work, eh? Let us move, my friend.", Marcellus ushers.

The darkness parted around us as my father lit a candle and placed it on the table. We all sat down, the light of the moon providing additional brightness to our home's interior. My dad, 'His Majesty', had a solemn look upon his guise, and he began to speak.

"A warning to all of you. The world is a dangerous, hostile place out there. I kid you not, you've been living in simple, innocent paradise here. When we land on the outside continent, we'll be rudely awakened from our sprightly ten-year slumber upon this berg in which we currently seat ourselves upon. Do not whimper, do not cry. This world out there will search for your fear, latch onto it, and suck from it until there's nothing of you left.".

"Indeed, Your Majesty. Although what you speak of is true, let us keep it from affecting how we perceive the Mushroom Continent.", Marcellus chimed in.

"Yeah, dad. Even though you've been stuck in your own spiral of grief and misery, don't impose it on us. Everyone's different, and we all see the world in our own way, so you can't tell us about the world for us. We have to see it ourselves!", I blurted.

 "Hmph. If that is how you feel, then so be it. I'll let events speak to you louder than my words, for it seems that my words do not scratch you as much as I had hoped them to. Good night. We sail tomorrow.", my father scowled.

He got up and disappeared into the depths of our bedroom. I felt bad for scorning my father like that, and as I got up to follow him, I scrambled to figure out what I could say to him. When I had gotten to him, all I could figure out to say is, "Dad... I'm sorry.". I knew this wasn't enough for him, but we laid it to rest, both figuratively and literally, as I climbed into my bed.

Morning came more quickly than I had expected. When I arose, Marcellus and my father had already exited our home and were preparing to set sail. I stepped out to discern what was happening between my father and his companion in a groggy stupor. The men that made up my family were packing the last of their keepsakes for the trip. My father called out to me as I came into his view. "About time you're up. It's almost midday, and you're only now rising for the day. Come, grab your belongings.", he shouted.

I pulled myself back into our shelter, and began to scramble for things to carry along with me. Most of the items I would have grabbed were already taken and stowed on our makeshift vessel. However, I managed to find myself grabbing a sack full of different items from my cabinet. In fact, I was surprised that it had been forgotten, since it was a rather important item during my stay on the island. I quickly opened the large pouch to check its contents, which happened to be a few different foodstuffs such as fruits and various bits of plants. "Fair enough", I said out loud. I wrapped the satchel around my shoulder and began to head out, where I noticed my old wooden sword. Instantly, I was filled with memories of Marcellus and I practicing swordplay on the beach when I was younger. Unable to bear leaving such a possession behind, I put it in the satchel and rushed outside.

The raft was already out in the sea, and ready to set sail at any moment. I leapt from the beach into the raft, and with that action's force, started the vessel out to sea. I inquired why exactly my peers had forgotten the item pouch, and Marcellus merely replied "I was unable to locate it. My apologies". My father took a seat on the side of the rail, and the three of us watched as the wind rendered our old home smaller and smaller on the horizon. For a good solid week, we were out at sea. Weather and the tides were rather calm, so we our raft got along smoothly. Together all day, all the time, two main topics of our conversation was the so-called plan of my father's, far-fetched and odd in the first place, as well what could exist outside of the world we had been isolated to. Not very much was said about the latter, since we all didn't even have an inkling of an idea of it. However, time passed rather quickly even so.

An abrupt change came into being as I awoke one morning to a sky of darkness and fear. A vicious downpour was barraging our vessel, and both Marcellus and my father were wildly trying to control the terrible forces of the sea. I scrambled to grab an oar and join them, but our efforts were to amount to little in terms of success. Winds howling, waves crashing about, we simply could not defy the natural phenomenon that was assaulting our journey across the depths. A particularly large wave swooned over the entire vehicle, and our raft was turned vertically, then smashed to pieces with a wild force. We were all sent in different directions, and I squirmed to keep myself above-water.

"DAD! MARCELLUS!", I screamed my companions' names like a madman, but to no avail. I tried to paddle towards my friends, who were becoming ever-so-distant with the power of the waves.

Eventually, my exhaustion overcame my will to stay conscious, and I plunged under the sea. Yet, as I started to sink, I knew already that it wasn't the end.

...Well, sorry for the wait. I guess I AM a bit dead, eh?

In all honesty, I spent a bit of time editing this darned thing, so it would have taken a while to type, even if I hadn't slacked off and played TF2 and stuff all day. Well, it's finally done, and I hope that people will still read this and stuff. Any comments are appreciated. See ya soon!

-WhiteYoshi

Hey, it's been a while!

I know it's definitely been quite a while since I've made a post, but guess what? I'm not dead! I've just been... on a hiatus... playing... video games and stuff. Ha... ha... ha.

Anyways, after I finally got off of the TF2, Minecraft, The Last Promise, etcetera, I came back here and instantly felt bad about how little I've put down here recently. And hey, I know a few of you are waiting for a new chapter in Yoshi Legacy, so why keep you waiting any longer? I'll be posting the next chapter sooner or later. To be honest, it isn't that finished yet, but I'm getting there pretty quickly, so expect it in a day or two. :3

I hope I haven't been completely forgotten yet... I mean, it hasn't been THAT long, right?

Any responses will make me feel less forgotteh, heh. Thanks for reading. :D

-WhiteYoshi

Meet Marcellus.

"Your majesty... are you well?"

Marcellus, the polite and loyal advisor of King Yoshius IV, is one of the main characters of Yoshi Legacy. He is definitely one who finds his appearance to be something of importance, creating a foppish mindset and distinguished appearance. However, as well-dressed as he may think he is, not one other individual understands why Marcellus chose to wear such an odd hat alongside his other garments. As a matter of fact, Marcellus found such a hat one day inside King Yoshius's wardrobe, and amongst the hats that the King wore in his teenage years, he found it to be the most interesting. King Yoshius IV let him keep it, since he thought it fit his advisor in an odd way.

Marcellus is a man of many talents. His main face is one of patience, kindness, and compassion, often being helpful to whomever he is nearby. However, this manner in which he behaves belies his peerless skill with a rapier. He knows the thin blade so well, he can wield two of them at once without being slowed down or otherwise deterred. Yet, he tries to mask his ability by trying to only apply force when it is inevitable.

During the course of Yoshi Legacy's story, we will find out much more about who Marcellus really is, as well as what he keeps under the surface. Keep reading Yoshi Legacy, viewer!

Well, that was a nice, more concise read. Nothing too LONG about it, eh?

Well, Chapter 2 is in my drafts folder. I'll be working on it regularly, and try to publish it soon. Hope you enjoyed Marcellus's bio. :D

-WhiteYoshi

Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Chapter 1

I must warn you: The chapters in my series are going to be very long. If you thought the prologue was something, you have another thing coming. If you hate brick walls of text, well, I'm really, really sorry.

From this tower, the entire island is in view. The tops of trees, sandy beach, and vast ocean, gently brushing upon the landmass is calming to me. Definitely a much different feeling than over at my home on the beach. Sometimes, I just lose myself over here on the structure I built, just looking around and thinking to myself.

"..ward..."

A familiar voice emanates from below, and I peek down to investigate.

"Edward!"

Oh, it's just Marcellus. He's almost always the one who goes out to fetch me from my spot. As I climb down the ladder, I hop down the last few rungs directly to the ground. I turn around to answer his pleasant face.

"Yes? Coming to get me?"

"Why yes, but of course.", Marcellus replies with a scratch on the back of his head. He ushers for me to follow him on a walk back to the hut we reside in. Yet, I don't exactly feel like returning... just yet.

"Marcellus? How about we take the long way home?", I inquire.

"Well, you know how your father is when you're late. Are you sure you would prefer this?" he cautions.

"Why not? I'm sure it won't be so bad."

Marcellus and I are sadly very well acquainted with my dad's angry speeches about how worried he is about us not coming back when we say we would, but today, Marcellus actually consented to taking a walk around the beach. Although my dad is my actual dad, Marcellus has been a much more fatherly figure to me than my dad. He'd taught me to read, write, speak fluently, and much more, even reaching out to swordplay with wooden makeshifts. We shared a lot of our feelings and moments with each other whilst my father grumbled away in the hut in his windowless room. I know that he had troubles from before, but I never really worked up the courage to learn too much about it. I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't want me to know anyways, since he said much to me about anything.

The sun began to fall over the western sea as we walked around the bend. The waves began to get larger as they hit the walls, somewhat unusual for this side of the island. I peeked over into the ocean and watched the waves form, then splash onto the beach, dissipating. When my eyes rolled back out to the ocean to watch another wave start to form, I noticed an object floating on the water. Curious, I asked Marcellus if had noticed it, and what it might be.

"Marcellus? Look in the water; there's something there. Do you know what it is?"

"Oh! I hadn't noticed. ...Looks to me as if it could be a book of some kind."

A book? Perhaps it came astray from my father's small shelf-ful of them at home. I had read all of them many times over already in the melancholy hours of days past, and knew them all pretty well. Stories of adventure, realism, and more have been burned into my memory. Both Marcellus and I were intrigued by the object, so I jumped into the water and fished it out. When I came back to shore and we both had a good look at it, I found that it wasn't a book from my dad's shelf at all.

"'Yoshi Legend'?", I asked.

"It seems like a history book. I don't remember seeing this one before.", Marcellus responded.

"Strange... I don't recall it either."

We both stood there for a moment, moving through the waterlogged pages carefully. We both agreed that it was definitely from somewhere else, and stood there reading it for a while. Eventually, we realized that the sun had set quite far over the horizon, and we both began to panic.

"Oh, dear. It's dark outside, Edward. We'd best hurry, or he'll start to really lose it." Marcellus panicked.

We rushed home just in time to find my father with an oil lamp getting ready to search for us. Upon seeing us clamber up to the hut, his concerned look immediately contorted into one of extreme irritation.

"Where have you two been? It's been hours since I sent you out, Marcellus.", he thundered.

"My apologies, my king! I didn't mean to worry you yet again!" Marcellus pleaded.

Sadly, my dad began his usual rant again. He sat us down at the wooden table and chairs and began to lay into us with how he had lost enough already and how it would kill him if he lost us two to something. It was then that I decided to speak up about what we had found in the ocean.

"Wait, wait. Dad, one second. Can I expl-"

"How DARE you interrupt me, my son? Apparently, you haven't learned your lesson yet after I have talked to you about this many times before, so I have to remind you yet again!", he raged.

"Let the child speak. I'm sure it's something of worth, Your Majesty.", Marcellus broke in.

"Very well, but make it quick. I'm very, very disappointed.", dad grumbled.

I pulled the book out from underneath the table that was in the ocean earlier. I handed it to him, and asked him if he had seen the book before. I began to go on about how the book was the reason we were back so late, but he just sat there, absorbed in its pages. After a short while, his gnarled, uptight facial expression mellowed out to one of curiosity and intrigue, and he calmly excused us both to our chambers. 

Marcellus and I were puzzled. He never ended his frustrated speeches so early on before, so that book must have interested him much more than it had for us both.

"What do you think made him want to read it so badly?", I asked.

"I'm not so sure, Edward. It's quite strange that Yoshius cared so much for books all of a sudden. I knew for a fact he preferred doing most of anything else over reading.", Marcellus murmured.

"I wonder how long he's going to spend reading that thing. I hope he doesn't lose sleep tonight over it." I replied.

"Well, with the state that your father's been in throughout the last ten years, you never know. Perhaps we should just go to sleep and find out in the morning."

"Yeah, the last thing I would want to do is bother my dad, especially since we made him worry today."

We both lay down and let the night pass us by. Strangely, we both weren't exactly surprised to find him still reading 'Yoshi Legend' on the table. Upon our door opening, my dad peeked behind himself. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had a strange smile across his face. He got up from his seat, and began to frantically speak.

"I-I-I-I-I've got it! Yes! I do indeed! Marcellus, I know what I must do!", he sputtered.

"Your Majesty... are you well? You should probably calm down, especially after staying up all night."

"Don't you dare interrupt me now, my advisor. You must hear me out!", he scrambled out.

I'd never seen him act this way before. My dad was trembling in his arms and legs, as if he had been subjected to something that drove him completely insane. Yet, what he said next wasn't something of gibberish, but rather, an elaborate, thought-out plan.

"Listen, you two! This book just gave me all I needed to know!", my father shouted.

"Might you elaborate on this, my king?" Marcellus inquired.

"Oh, I'll tell you, all right. 'Yoshi Legend' is a history book, now. It's not some kind of misguided fairy tale, I know that for sure! What the thing says is history I was taught as a boy. I would know that kind of thing!", he triumphantly spat out.

"Can you tell us in a calmer voice, dad? Organize your thoughts and stuff, I don't know. It just sounds like your frantic.", I let out with a bit of concern.

"Fine, fine..."

He let out a sigh. As he grabbed ahold of himself, his limbs went slack, and relaxed as he once again took a seat.

"You see," he began, "these past ten years here, I've been stuck in my own spiral of sadness. I never did tell you why, my son. Marcellus knows very well, and it doesn't seem he brought himself to telling you, either. Well, it's about time you learned why I am the way I am. I used to be a proud king of a place called Yoshi's Island. I had a wife, and we were happy. However, I soon lost her, your older sibling, and my entire country through a series of events that is too complicated to explain in a reasonable amount of time. I wanted to tell you for such a long time now, Edward, but... I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Dad... it's okay. I'm fourteen. I think I'll understand. And even though I never knew my mother or that I had a sibling, it's okay. You should just get to the point and tell us about what you found from that book.", I comfortingly replied.

"Okay, okay. Well, my island was taken from me due to an act of dark magic. It was literally pulled under the sea by whom Marcellus claims is your older brother."

"My brother? Why would he want to take his own home away from his father?" I asked.

"It was an attempt to take your father's life, Edward. Mine, included. However, we left for safety in a timely manner, so we then found refuge on this island.", Marcellusadded.

"Oh, dear... Well, go on.", I replied.

"The historical evidence found in this book told me of a way I could undo the fell magic placed upon my domain: your homeland, my son. Five elemental gems have been scattered throughout the continent that embodies my island, and when put together, they have the power to undo any foul spell that curses anyone or anything. They were originally given out by our god, the White Yoshi, to five heroes who fought off a monstrosity known as the Devil Yoshi."

"Wait a second, dad. If you say it's history, why is a 'god' involved? Isn't a god usually something people believe in rather than something people remember through history?" I thought out loud.

"My son. The White Yoshi wasn't a myth or legend. He was seen physically by my ancestors. He traveled the world, sharing his blessings wherever he went. Yet, he soon ascended the heavens one day. In fact, he left our world just after he granted the heroes these elemental gems."

"If you say so..." I muttered.

"Well, anyways. What I was thinking was that I could travel around the world to find these five elemental gems. When the heroes died, the gems they possessed were enshrined around the continent in different locations. If I could just get them together again and put their power to use, I could reclaim Yoshi's Island!", my dad exclaimed.

"Isn't this a little bit outlandish, my lord? I don't mean to be a downer, but considering they've been enshrined according to the book, they'd be under guard, am I not correct?", Marcellus inserted.

"Hmph. If all you two will do is disagree with my plan, then very well. I'll be going through with this on my own, then. You can stay here all you want; I don't honestly care.", my father said.

He then got up and left outside. We both watched my dad start to set up a makeshift raft, after seeing how much the boat he came to this island in had deteriorated. Although Marcellus and I condemned  my father's plan, we couldn't bear to see him try and leave alone. It just wouldn't be right. So, we got up off our feet and walked outside.

My dad, King Yoshius IV, as well as Marcellus and I, right then and there, didn't know it at the time, but what we were about to get into was much, much more than we at first thought.

WELL, THAT WAS A NICE, LONG READ, EH? I BET YOU DIDN'T READ IT ALL. I BET YOU DIDN'T. Well, anyways, if you actually did, I hope you enjoyed. This took a couple of hours for me to finally complete, so leave comments and stuff. Thanks, and see you soon.

Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Prologue

I kind of miss making my series. A little bit too much. Therefore, I'm making this. It's a text version of my series, and I hope you all enjoy.

Anyways...onto the story and stuffs.

I have failed in my duty as a king. I am a craven and a fool, for my attempts to keep duty to my country were in vain.

Perhaps it was inevitable. My rule over my domain was always quite loose, and I admit, I was a bit careless in my rule. I have long since changed from who I used to be. Now, I am naught but an irritable deterioration of what may expect from an individual of my stature.

Although I am embittered and lost in my own soul, I still remember how it was like back on Yoshi's Island. My beautiful wife Yoshephine and I... living so warmly together. Until it all fell apart. At first, my firstborn child, still in its egg, was spirited away by a kidnapper in my sleep. The anguish I felt after learning of its disappearance is still clear in my being. My frenzied panic had me accuse my advisor and my closest friend, Marcellus, of the thievery. Yet, I knew even at the time that Marcellus had no desire to have a child, and even to love a woman. 

A second egg was produced by my wife and I to compensate for my firstborn's loss. However, I would be reminded of my sadness cruelly by my wife's strange and sudden death. It happened one afternoon when Marcellus returned from the market to report that my wife who had gone to peruse the merchants' wares had been slain. We both rushed to the market and he showed me her corpse. I wept and wept, and couldn't stop for days upon end. Thinking back to the incident, nobody could confirm her cause of death, for her body seemed... unscathed. As odd as it was, my dear wife was buried that evening in the castle's courtyard to everyone on Yoshi's Island's misery and grief.

To my relief, my secondborn hatched successfully. I named the child Edward, after a historic great king from a faraway land. Edward's birth brought me back from my depressed stupor, and I then ruled alone for four years. His creation is perhaps the only source of happiness I can draw from in this world.

Perhaps the strangest tragedy to befall myself is how I lost my kingdom. Late at night almost a full decade ago exact, I was awakened abruptly by my advisor, whom told me to flee the island. I quickly questioned the reason for doing so, but seeing the injuries he had sustained, I already knew something grim was happening and I couldn't do anything about it, just like how it had always been for me. I quickly grabbed Edward and any immediate belongings I could find, and followed Marcellus on his escape route. He led me to a secret passage out of the castle, got the nearest boat, and started to sail away. The oddities began to show themselves as the entire island was engulfed in pulsating dark energy, and pulled directly into the sea in front of my very eyes.

When he had a chance to explain, Marcellus explained the situation and who was behind this assault on my homeland. It turns out, he said, that the kidnapper of my firstborn was much more powerful than a normal street crook. The thief had taken my child as soon as it had hatched, and warped it with dark power. He had been gathering dark energy into my son, slowly making him ever more powerful, and struck my island eight years after the kidnapping. Marcellus, who had been part of the initial resistance force, fled after most of the force was incapacitated to warn me.

You might wonder why I haven't suspected Marcellus for setting this all up, since he was seemingly a prime suspect in these events. It's quite simple: the one responsible for these acts was attempting to take my life as well as my family's. If Marcellus had really wanted to kill me, he could have done so during my firstborn son's takeover without personal consequence. Yet, he continued to help me, and without him, I wouldn't be still alive today, nor would my son be.

And that is the story of how I lost my kingdom and country, a saddening, yet strange tale. I docked on the nearest island to create a settlement for Marcellus and my son. We have lived in this place for ten years, and it seems like we will be spending the rest of our days on this remote location, dwelling in how we lost what we had.

My name and title is King Yoshius IV, and I have failed in my duty as a king.

Meet Angus.

In the beginning of the story, Angus is the stepfather of Pengy. He's around his mid forties in terms of age, and has a lazy right eye, meaning that he has trouble moving his right eyelid higher than where it usually stops. Angus is a rowdy individual that can get irate with only the slightest provocation. Angus is also somewhat neglectful in his duties as a stepfather, because as you can see from his uniform, he's more interested in transporting cargo across the high seas to this town known as Dockton.

At first in the story, Angus is away at sea doing his job. Pengy finds Edward during this time and leaves to help Edward on his quest. Shortly after they leave is when Angus returns, and is extremely irritated at her disappearance. Angus is then visited by Rick a little while after, whom is hopelessly lost. Angus decides to help Rick with Shadow Yoshi's request because he didn't know the complete reason Rick was doing it and he felt bad for Rick having to take on such a task by himself. He also found the journey one that could help him find his stepdaughter whom had disappeared.

Angus actually does run into the heroes' group in Terranis's Sacred Temple. In the main room, Rick and him fight King Yoshius's group, but ultimately fail. Yet, due to Pengy's pleads, King Yoshius IV spares both Angus and Rick their lives. Angus offers to be a better fatherly figure to Pengy, but Pengy explains what she needs to do now that she travels with the heroes. Angus understands, and he and Rick leave to transport cargo together on his job. The two will find the heroes again later on.

Sorry for the wall of text. There's a lot of story behind the characters that I've created over the past few years... and I can't help but put it all down. Thanks for reading (If you even read the whole thing) and have a nice day. :D

What should I do with this blog right now? And what do you think, too?

I'm asking you all, the Blogging community, a few questions. (CLICK READ FULL POST) You've all probably seen my posts by now, so what do you think of it? Also, I've been thinking of doing other things with my blog other than just posting character bios.

I could post:

-Text-based documents with a written form of the chapters in my series

-Non-canon to the main plotline (Unless specified) web comics using characters from my series

-Possibly suggestions from you guys

What do you want to see from my blog? Leave some feedback; I'd appreciate it!

~WhiteYoshi