The Triumph of Shadow is Near
by GypsyKate
Disclaimers are at the bottom to prevent spoilers.
Chapter 1: Cass
CRACK! BOOM!
Now I'm beginning to see why Jesse was worried about me...
I managed to beat the storm home, but it started pouring down rain once I was inside.
...But he always seems worried about something...aaand he should be calling me in three...two...one...
–We're running with the shadows of the night, so baby take my hand, it'll be all right–
It's shooowtime! I mentally commented as I flipped opened my cellphone.
"Hi Cass, did you make it home okay?"
"No, a dragon just swooped down on me and now we're flying back to England."
"Good to hear you're all right, then–"
The house phone`s ringing cut him off.
"Jesse, can I call you back later? I think Mom's trying to reach me on the other line–"
"Understood. Love you, Cassie."
"Love you, too." Best boyfriend a girl could get in this world...
Once Mom was assured that I was safe, I retreated to my room. As I placed my wallet and cellphone on my nightstand, the power went out. I stepped forward to grab a flashlight and realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore.
You see, I lived in a one-story house with no basement and only a trap door to access the attic. Therefore, I was rather shocked to find myself tumbling down a cold, stone staircase that simply didn't fit into the ground plan. There was nothing to stop my fall, either. Joy.
It was still pitch dark as I tasted dirt and had the wind knocked out of me upon landing. As I caught my breath and tried to fight the panic bubbling up inside me, I noticed something odd about the sky. After living in New York City for so long, seeing myriad stars shining above felt a bit...disorienting for me. They were beautiful, but I grew up being used to only the moon watching us at night...and it was so silent there...
"Greetings, Cassandra Venkman!"
"Uh-ah!"
Not a dignified response, I admit, but hearing that great big voice booming overhead made me yelp.
"I have decided to grant your wish--"
"But the only thing I've wished for recently was a Myst IV walkthrough! And I got that!"
I didn't tell him- it- that I also wished for many other things, too. Like not being here.
"Before that, you wanted to visit other worlds, did you not? And you still do?"
"Yes, but--"
"Then welcome to the Smash Fighting Tournament-- and my universe!"
"W-what tournament?!"
"The one you're participating in, of course!"
He musta been joking...asking a kid with glasses and minimal martial arts experience to sign up for that...
"I can't fight my way out of a paper bag!"
"You've done fairly well in your self-defense lessons..."
Smart move, Cassie-girl. Lying like a rug to an obviously powerful person would get you out of this mess-- not!
"...Are quick on the uptake most of the time..."
Think, Cass, think about how to get out of this...
"...And--"
"Will I be able to go home afterwards?"
"No."
I lost it then. The thought of never seeing Mom- or Matt, my older brother- or Jesse again--
"WHY DID YOU PICK ME WHEN THERE ARE COUNTLESS OTHER FIGHTERS ON EARTH MUCH BETTER THAN I AM?!!!!"
The only reply I received was maniacal laughter as the ground vanished from beneath me for the second time that day.
I thought I heard the voice yelling 'Crazy Hand!' as I tumbled down a wooden, creaky staircase with nothing to stop my fall. Joy again.
The mouthful of grime I spat out was a good hint that I wouldn't be arrested for breaking and entering an abandoned house. The sheets covering the furniture and the thick coat of dust, largely undisturbed from my dive, was another clue.
I'm not sure how long I laid there, sobbing until I couldn't shed anymore tears. After a while, I pulled myself together, and, once I was sitting up, noticed that my backpack was somehow with me here. The voice must have taken it for me. After shaking dirt off my denim jacket and brushing down my jeans, I inspected the contents to see if I had everything.
All three notebooks, check. Pencil case with an eraser, check. Eyeglass repair kit and spare pair, check. Candy, check. Both water bottles, check. First aid kit, check. MP3 player, check. My copy of The Tough Guide to Fantasy Land, check. Big, black flashlight heavy enough to break glass, check–
Waaait a minute, I never put that in there...that was supposed to stay at home. Same thing for the few items of extra clothing I also found in there. But logic and rationality had already been thrown out the window that day, so I didn't think too much of it.
I also checked to see if I still had my mini compass and pocket flashlight on me. I did. Then, I decided to investigate the house to get an idea of where I was. Y'know, in case there's zombies in the vicinity or something like that. Get them before they got me. As I climbed up the stairs, one thought ran through my head:
If I really do have the bad luck to be in Raccoon City, I'm running. Away. Fast. Before I'm dead.
As I waded through the weeds, away from that sorry wreck, I noted that the rest of this neighborhood seemed deserted, too. Good, no one to mistake me for a vandal or a hobo or whatever. Upon reaching the curb, an excellent reason for a heart attack popped up.
"WELCOME TO SMASHVILLE, CAPITAL OF THE SMASH WORLD!"
My clever response to this was to trip. I managed to catch myself before I kissed the concrete, and I looked up.
And immediately regretted it as I spotted the giant, white glove floating above me.
"AND HERE IS YOUR DOOR PRIZE: A BLIZZARD ANKLET!"
It threw something that glittered at me. I snagged it, and it felt like ice. Not metal, as it had appeared to be made of, but ice.
"OH, AND MASTER HAND WANTS ME TO GIVE YOU THIS WALLET."
I caught that, too...
"AND THIS MAP!"
...And barely grabbed the last item. Yeesh, it was like I was in an old-timey Warner Bros. cartoon or something...
"Any thing else...?"
"THERE'S A ROOM FOR YOU, UNDER YOUR NAME, AT THE SMASH HOTEL. HAVE A NICE DAY!" With that, it flew off into the wild blue yonder, never to be seen again...I hoped. I was later proved wrong.
What a day...I had a wish granted, fell down two staircases, was kidnapped by a mystical-type being, was practically ordered to let myself get beaten up by said mystical being, got free gifts from a bizarre stranger, and, as of now, was trying to escape from impeding doom. And things were probably going to get even worse later on.
So why was I thinking about how uncreative this place is with its names so far? Or to be more precise, its obsession with the word 'smash'?
I already knew where I was after I remembered where I had seen Crazy Hand before.
Disclaimer: Nintendo owns Super Smash Brothers, Diana Wynne Jones owns The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, some random game company owns half the Blizzard Anklet idea, and I own the other half, not to mention the plot, Cassie-girl, and Jesse. The ringtone is Pat Benatar`s Shadows of the Night, and Raccoon City's...from the Resident Evil games...ick...
This is was inspired by many things, but these three were the main reasons: A Dark Passage, track 21 on Blind Guardian`s album Nightfall on Middle Earth, has a couple verses that fit in here; a Real Ghost Busters/Anime X-overs/Game X-overs story I tried- and failed- to write, but it gave me Cass before passing on; and last but not least, PeridotSwan`s story Let It Rain got me typing this up.
Updates will be...sporadic, I'm afraid. If you see any logical or canon inconsistencies, please let me know. And if you're reading this, PeridotSwan, please tell me if this is a little too similar to your story.
This is GypsyKate, signing off!