A/N: Hello everyone! :) Welcome to my second fanfic! I'm so sorry for the long wait. I was busy with school, and this story came along way later than I had hoped. I really hope you guys enjoy it and find it interesting. This story just randomly popped in my head the other day, and I thought now would be a good time to start writing.

Super Mario © Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original characters.

The Shadow Behind The Light

Lightning struck the horizon in a blinding flash. The ominous sound of thunder crashing in the distance followed shortly thereafter. The sound of the rain was so loud, it was nearly deafening.

But this didn't stop a young girl from fleeing the devastated, war-torn kingdom that she once called home. Exhausted and grief-stricken, she refused to stop running. She was willing to run as far as her feet could take her, willing to run until she knew she was safe.

Even though she was all alone, she knew she couldn't be afraid. If she allowed her fear to consume her, she knew she wouldn't have made it out of that kingdom alive.

As she continued sprinting through the pitch-black woods, she held her most prized possession against her chest. Although it seemed like a plain, small, heart-shaped locket on the outside, what she truly held dear was on the inside. It was a picture of the family that she once had, but was now lost.

Another strong flash of lightning struck a tree in front of her, causing her to scream and fall backwards into the dirt in panic. As the tree collapsed in a golden blaze, she pulled herself to her feet and brushed her jet black hair out of her eyes.

She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes, allowing the raindrops to softly land on her face as she silently prayed to the Stars that she could get to where she was going.

All of a sudden, a piercing pain started ravaging her head in waves, causing her to cry out and collapse to her knees in agony.

You're all alone... no one is here to help you... you'll never make it out of here alive, no matter how hard you try... resistance is futile...

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she screamed out of the blue, desperately trying to silence the negative voice ringing in her ears. "I thought I told you to leave me alone!"

Ever since she left home, this voice had been plaguing her mind with thoughts of self-doubt, uncertainty, and hopelessness. Horrifying dreams and visions of the future would haunt her dreams as she slept, even prior to running away, almost as if they foreshadowed what was to come. However, she knew she couldn't allow it to take over, because if she did, she wouldn't make it out of this place alive. As much as she hated to admit it, this voice sounded oddly comforting to her, almost like she had met this person before. She just couldn't place her finger on it.

Foolish girl... do you really think you're capable of reaching your destination, let alone by yourself? How amusing...

Ignoring that last statement, she slowly rose to her feet, still clutching the sides of her head in case the pain would return. She was exhausted from spending the entire day in hiding and on the run, but she knew that now was not an appropriate time to sleep. If she wanted to reach safety, and prove this voice wrong, she would have to keep running in the direction of this kingdom.

A kingdom far from her own, but much safer... at least that was what she believed.

A kingdom that she would have to reach all on her own. And yet, she was only fifteen.