AN- First off, this fic is a HUMANIZED FIC. EVERY CHARACTER IS HUMAN. KAY? KAY.
Heeey, my first completed contest entry! Whoop whoop! :D Not only that, but the first western/sci-fi fic for Super Smash Bros! Yay! It's also the first marked Luigi/Peach, sooo... I thought that was cool.
...This contest was harder than I thought it would be. You wanna know how many ideas I went through for this conest (before scrapping them)? 7. This was idea number 8. That wouldn't be so bad though, if I hadn't written over 5,000 words for one of the ideas! Oh well, I'm glad I scrapped the 5,000 word one. I just didn't think it was that good... But I am planning on editing it, finishing it, and posting it! Woohoo!
Also, I included almost every character Paradigm had in his list of people to use as main characters. The only people I DIDN'T include were Kirby, Diddy Kong, and the duck from the Duck Hunt Duo (I got the dog in!)
Well, I hope you enjoy my first western/sci-fi... (Also, it might SEEM like there's no sci-fi in this story at FIRST, but just wait. It'll be there...)
Hot, dusty air shot up his nose as he inhaled, causing him to sneeze loudly.
"Bless yall," the man sitting at the end of the counter called, and the owner of the Milk Bar nodded appreciatively.
Luigi took a wet towel and grabbed a dirty cup, wiping the glass down slowly. It was days like that that Luigi enjoyed, the quiet, peaceful, slow ones. Lucky for him, that was most days.
Luigi's Milk Bar, the only bar (of any kind) in the small town of Smash. If someone wanted a refreshing drink, that's where they'd go. The wooden bar with the flickering lanterns lining the walls of the establishment. Small, round tables filled the room (four chairs per table), along with a long counter that Luigi stood behind to make the various milk drinks his patrons wished of him. At the moment, all the chairs were empty, the only man in Luigi's fine establishment sitting at a stool at the counter.
The man stood from his seat, tossing a few gold coins on the flat surface next to an empty glass. "Thank you kindly," Sheriff Mac tipped his stetson respectfully to Luigi, who smiled back with a nod of his own head. Then the sheriff of Smash town turned and left the bar, boots clicking with every step.
"Luigi?" A voice called from the upstairs level of the bar, the level that was Luigi's home, and he smiled. His wife finally woke up. For some reason, it took her at least an hour longer than her husband to awaken in the morning.
Peach walked downstairs, wearing one of her favorite dresses. Her hair was neatly combed and pulled back in a ponytail, and her slim hands held the front of her dress up as she walked, revealing brown boots beneath. "Who was here just now?"
"Sheriff Mac," Luigi answered, scooping the coins from the counter into his hand.
Peach smiled brightly, walking behind the counter with her husband. "He's such a gentleman. He always gives us a tip, too. That helps more than he knows, 'specially with having to support a family." She gave Luigi a peck on the cheek, before turning to grab a towel to wipe down the tables.
"Speaking of family," Peach pondered aloud, "where's Lucas?"
"He woke up with me this mornin'," Luigi smiled, "He's out playing with his dog somewhere."
"That boy and his dog," Peach chuckled, wiping a rough tabletop down.
Sheriff Mac walked across his little town, the town he protected, every step he took in the firm dirt one he'd taken countless times before.
The sun beat down mercilessly, and Mac was glad for the slim protection he had because of his hat. Unfortunately, a hat could only go so far against the scorching sun of Smash. Lucky for him, it was only a short walk from Luigi's Milk Bar to his office.
The sheriff's mouth felt dry as he stepped into the building that served as both his office and Smash Town's jail, and he couldn't help but crave another tall glass of milk.
"There you are. Been sitting here for a good half hour, waiting." Sheriff Mac froze at the voice, and turned to find someone sitting at the seat behind his desk.
"You know I visit Luigi's Milk Bar every day," Mac grunted at Mr. Game and Watch before sitting in a chair situated by a jail cell, "you probably should have waited until noon to look for me."
The mayor of Smash Town snorted, "I don't have time for that, you know. This matter's important. How's he doing?"
Sheriff Mac turned to look at the jail cell he sat beside. "Same as yesterday, and the day before."
Inside said jail cell was sparse decoration, the only furniture a rundown cot and a wooden bucket in the corner for waste. What would catch someone's attention, however, would be the person (more like animal, by this point) sitting on the cot, curled in on himself.
"Ghosts," the man muttered, "So many ghosts, and they all looked at me! They all looked, all the ghosts!"
Sheriff Mac shook his head at Fox's mutterings and blabberings, turning back to Mr. Game and Watch. "He's in a sad state, mayor."
"I know. And this is bad. He was one of our best town members. He should have listened to the law!"
Mac shrugged, "Too late now. Nothing we can do, Mr. Mayor, 'sides leave him to it. Maybe one day he'll come back to his senses, and if that day ever comes, I can assure you, Fox'll never visit the town line again."
Mayor Watch narrowed his eyes. "I suppose."
Lucas ran faster, looking behind him. "Come on, come on!" His feet pounded into the dirt streets of Smash, every step unplanned beforehand.
The boy's dog, named Hunter, barked and chased the boy quicker.
It was Lucas's favorite game, running from his dog. His Ma and Pa didn't mind, and the Sheriff didn't either (so long as they stayed away from the town line), so Lucas played the game as often as possible.
Hunter barked louder, and Lucas laughed, looking behind himself at the brown dog chasing him. It was only a split second, the glance behind him, but it was long enough. When he looked back forwards, Lucas stopped short. He was standing a few yards from the town line. He stared at it, for only a second, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder and pulled the blonde boy quickly away.
Greninja, the man who was known in town for his strange name (Greninja?), pulled Lucas away quickly, only stopping when they were far enough away.
"Boy," Greninja started, and Lucas braced himself for the scolding, "you know it's 'gainst the law to go by the town line. What'd your Pa say?"
Lucas looked down at his feet, kicking them shamefully. Hunter trotted over to his owner, licking where the boy's toes were tucked away in boots. "That I should never approach the town line," he answered respectfully as possible, the way instilled into him by his parents.
"Good boy," Greninja nodded, giving Lucas a pat on the back."Make sure to always watch where you're goin', and you'll be just fine. And since this was the first time I done seen you near the line, I don't think I have'ta tell your parents."
Lucas looked up hopefully. "Really, Mister Greninja?"
Greninja winked, "Really." Then he walked away, leaving the boy and his dog behind him.
Lucas glanced once more at the town line, a brief one, before walking away. What he wouldn't tell anyone, unless they asked real hard, would be the glimmery shine he saw at the town line, if he looked hard enough. A little sparkle in the sparkle-less desert.
Lucas would be sure to keep it to himself as long as he could. He wouldn't want to end up like Mister Fox.
Mayor Watch had long left Sheriff Mac and that insufferable Fox, and was now sitting in his roomy Mayoral Office. The most luxurious room in the entirety of Smash town, furnished with barely plush couches, worn red velvet curtains, and a thready carpet.
Yes, it really was one of the most lavish rooms in Smash.
Mayor Watch sat behind his desk, sorting through the almost nonexistent pile of paperwork he had. Most of it was just minor townsfolk complaints, or requests to fix up some of the more rundown buildings in town. He hoped none of the residents of Smash Town noticed, but Mayor Watch played an almost nonessential role in the town. In fact, Watch was pretty sure his secretary could do all his work for him, making Watch obsolete.
Hopefully, no one would notice.
His throat was particularly parched that day, the sun so hot all moisture in the air that had been there before was sucked away.
"Lucina?" The mayor called out, and within a minute, his secretary entered his office.
"Yes, Mayor Watch?" Lucina Exalt brushed blue bangs out of her eyes, and Watch felt his heart speed up.
"Would you mind fetching me a glass of water? My throat is particularly dry today."
Lucina smiled humorlessly, "I believe that's how everyone's throats feel. Sure, I'll fetch you a glass."
Lucina walked out, but Watch's heart didn't slow.
If only he could tell her how he felt.
They were watching him. Every move the town made was monitored, watched.
He was being watched.
Fox found himself curling in a tighter ball. "They're watching." He said it repeatedly, staring out of his cell and at his guard. "They're watching."
"Uh huh," Sheriff Mac nodded his head distractedly, paying all his attention to cleaning his gun (not that he used it recently). "Eat your food."
Fox uncurled from his ball, sitting on the edge of the cot. His bare feet dangled, swinging back and forth. "You don't believe me."
"Not really," Mac didn't even glance up at his prisoner. This was day number two of Fox's babbling. The sheriff was already used to it.
The Milk Bar doors swung inwards, and Peach looked up from where she was sweeping diligently. A man walked in, one of decent build with shaggy brown hair. Peach smiled at him.
"'Ello, Mister Rob. Haven't seen you around of late."
Rob looked at the blonde woman, his eyes filled with sorrow like always. Peach understood his depression; it couldn't be easy, being a carpenter (Rob's work wasn't just furniture, he also did coffins).
Rob sat down quietly at a table in the corner of the bar, not looking at Peach. "Been busy."
The blonde woman smiled, continuing her sweeping. "Isn't that nice? Well, my husband just went upstairs to fetch something, he'll be down in a minute to get'cha your drink."
Rob nodded. "I can wait."
Peach continued sweeping, humming under her breath, when a deafeningly loud shrieking sound echoed through town. The woman screamed, blocking her ears and falling to the ground. Even with her hands clamped on her ears, she could still hear the noise; the noise that sounded like some dying bird's screams amplified by a thousand. Then a loud voice echoed, the screeching noise quieting just a bit.
"-eems there's a problem with the spe-"
The noise kept cutting the voices off, again and again, and Peach only picked up pieces of the voices.
"-ant our money b-"
"-bly sorry, we'll-"
"-diots, you people are i-"
"-ome back tom-"
And then everything fell quiet.
Fox watched as Sheriff Mac unblocked his ears slowly, looking around wildly. Then the prisoner locked eyes with Mac.
"I told you." Fox whispered. "I was right. They're watching."
Fox stood and walked to the jail cell bars, gripping them so tightly his knuckles went white. "You should have listened."
"Settle down, settle down!" Mayor Watch called to the crowd, who were shrieking for answers. Greninja stayed quiet. He knew the mayor would need quiet to explain what was going on. Mister Greninja was known in Smash Town for two things, his name and his rough exterior. Only two kinds of folks got past that rough exterior, children and women. Smash Town's mayor was neither. Yet, he wasn't one of the people screaming at the mayor. He just waited for answers he was sure the mayor would have (if there was to be a third thing Greninja was known for, it'd be his trusting nature in authority).
Mr. Game and Watch stood on the Town Hall porch, a rickety thing that looked like it could collapse at any minute (just like every other building in town). His secretary, Miss Lucina, stood a few feet off to his side, and both of them were looking out over the crowd who had gathered in front of the building for explanations.
A few people quieted at the mayor's pleas for silence, most others did not.
"What were those voices?!" Peach Toadstool yelled angrily, "What are they doing in our town?!"
"Quiet, quiet!" Watch continually pleaded, but the townsfolk just got riled up again.
BANG!
People jumped in shock, before turning to the back of the crowd where the noise came from. Greninja smiled slightly at the sight of Sheriff Mac holding his smoking gun high above his head, the weapon pointed skywards.
"Let the Mayor speak," Mac said, lowering his gun. Everyone in town knew he hated having to use it (even if it wasn't on another human being).
The crowd fell into a hush, turning to face their mayor once again.
"Thank you," Mayor Watch straightened his vest, looking out on the crowd that wanted answers that Greninja was almost positive he'd have. "Now, I understand you all want answers, but-"
"What do ya mean, 'but'?!" Miss Peach yelled again, her emotions obviously getting the better of her. "I don't want any 'but's! I want answers! I have a child!"
Murmurs of agreement sounded, and Watch rubbed his hands together nervously.
"I don't know what the voices were, Miss Toadstool, but I assure you that I will do everything in my power to figure out what's going on. Sheriff Mac is already investigating."
Greninja was shocked. Mayor Watch didn't know anything about the voices. All that trust he had in his mayor was misplaced.
Though it was uncharacteristic of Mister Greninja, seeing as how he was known for being a tough, stoic man, he couldn't help but glance around the crowd nervously. Greninja wasn't a superstitious man, so he knew- Someone in town had to have been responsible.
The only question was who.
"You're a downright low liar, you know that mayor?" Sheriff Mac tossed his gun on the desk in his office, Fox not saying anything for once (the man had finally fallen asleep on his cot).
Mayor Watch followed Mac into the sheriff's office, a look on his face that was a mix of shame and anger. "What did you want me to tell the townsfolk, hm? That you hadn't started investigating the voices?! That I can do absolutely nothing to figure out what the heck they were?!"
"At least you wouldn't be a liar," Sheriff Mac slammed himself down into the chair behind his desk, eyeing the mayor the entire time. "All those people think we're gonna find answers, when both you and I don't even have a shadow of an idea of what to do!"
Mayor Watch growled, kicking the wooden wall. Fox stirred in his sleep. Neither man noticed.
"Well, you want me to confess to them?!" Watch glared at the man behind the desk, his voice level raising. "I'd be burned at the stake!"
Sheriff Mac was about to retort when a chuckle interrupted him. The sound made his blood run cold.
"I told you," Fox was awake, sitting on the cot with his back leaning against the wall, "I told you. They're watching, they're listening, and they can talk. They did today."
"Ask him who he means," Mayor Watch suddenly turned to Mac, "ask him who 'they' are. It's our only lead right now."
Sheriff Mac didn't want anything to do with Fox or the mayor right then, but he had to admit, Watch had a point. The only lead they had was Fox.
"Who's 'they', Fox?" Mac stood up from his desk, walking a few steps closer to the jail cell. "How are they watching us?"
Fox decided to answer question number one. "They're the Ghosts, Sheriff."
A cool breeze tickled his nose, and Luigi Toadstool sneezed for the second time that day. The bedroom window was open, the reason any wind could even enter the room that chilly night.
The day had not been a quiet one as Luigi originally thought it would be.
Luigi pulled the thin blanket covering him higher, until it almost touched his nose, and Peach rolled over in her sleep. The blanket scooched away from her husband slightly at her movement, but Luigi didn't mind. He was just glad she was asleep. She'd taken forever to doze off, Luigi having to convince her that everything would be fine, that Sheriff Mac was investigating the voices as much as he could. That they'd soon know what the voices were.
That didn't help Luigi out, however, because he wasn't sure he believed his mayor. There was something about the way Watch had a nervous air about him that just didn't convince Luigi anything he said was true.
A creek sounded, and Luigi sat up in bed quickly. The door to their bedroom swung open, revealing a small blonde boy on the other side.
"Lucas?" Luigi whispered, trying not to wake his wife up (she somehow slept through her husband bolting upright in bed). "What's wrong?"
Lucas walked forward a bit, approaching his father. Luigi noticed the tears in his eyes.
"Hunter's gone." Lucas sniffled, and Luigi's brow furrowed. "He got downstairs and ran outside. I tried to stop him, but he just kept running!"
Luigi knew what he had to do as a father, not that he necessarily wanted to at that moment.
"I'll go fetch him, you stay here and make sure your mother doesn't wake up." And Luigi hopped out of bed, walking out of the bedroom. The man tiptoed downstairs, into his bar, where the only lighting was the moonlight spilling in windows and the open space above and below the front door. The entire room was cast in the moon's eerie light.
Luigi shivered. He never liked being scared, or creepy things. Quickly, he pulled on his boots that sat by the front door and ran outside onto the dusty streets of Smash.
His first thought when he exited his place of business was how hard it'd be to find the dog in the entire town, when a high pitched howl came from his right. Luigi felt a shiver go down his spine, and he turned to the origin of Hunter's howl.
It came from the town line.
Luigi decided he had two choices then. He could go back inside his home, tell Lucas he couldn't find Hunter and hope the dog eventually came back, or he could go to the town line where Hunter was at that moment (and risk becoming like Fox).
Then he thought of how devastated Lucas would be if Hunter never came back, and chose option number two.
Luigi ran quickly towards the town line. In his head, he already had a plan. Find the dog, grab him, and run for his life. Every step his booted feet took, the more shallow his breaths became.
And then he saw Hunter, and Luigi's blood ran like ice in his veins. The dog sat at the town line, staring out into the desert quietly. The dog wasn't moving, his back facing to Luigi.
"Hunter?" Luigi stopped running five yards or so away from the dog. "Come here, Hunter!" He whispered harshly, wanting Hunter to listen so they could both get out of there.
Hunter let out another high pitched howl, and Luigi's ears buzzed at the noise. He slapped his hands over them quickly, blocking out the howl as best he could. Hunter wasn't moving, and Luigi knew he'd have to walk forward and grab him.
Slowly, the man took a few tentative steps, then increased his pace. He froze.
And then an earsplitting scream ripped through Smash Town. People started to wake up, but Luigi didn't even notice. HIs gaze was transfixed on two shimmery figures standing before him.
The man had smooth blue hair, bangs loosely falling into his sky blue eyes. He had a frown on his face, one that looked almost… Disappointed. The woman on his arm had chocolate brown hair that fell loosely around her shoulders, her eyes a darker blue than his. Their clothing was odd, but Luigi didn't pay much attention to that.
He just turned away from the town line, screaming at the top of his lungs. "GHOSTS!"
Hunter turned his head to watch his master go.
"GHOSTS!" Luigi Toadstool's eyes had filled with terror before he turned tail and fled, leaving his dog behind.
The man with blue hair watched him go, the woman on his arm shaking her head.
"I can't believe it!" Marth whispered incredulously. "First, the speaker system goes on the blink and they can hear everything, next they can see us too?! This will be the second time we have to shut it down!"
"Shh," Zelda rubbed her husband's arm reassuringly, but she was just as disappointed. "We'll just have to close the exhibit for a bit while we have it fixed. It will be open again in no time."
Marth still looked frustrated, but nodded. The room they stood in together was huge, towering ceilings with bright white lights that were dimmed (for the illusion of nighttime). Crowds upon crowds of people lingered around, glancing at smaller exhibits in the room, though most were captivated by the Smash Town exhibit (really, the plaque in front of the huge glass chamber said it all, "Watch the inhabitants of an old western town named Smash as they go through the day to day activities of Wild West peoples!" Who wouldn't want to check out that exhibit?).
Marth and Zelda walked back to the control room of the building, the man turning on the speaker system. "Attention please," Marth said in a cool tone, "this is the curator of the Museum of Natural History. Please forgive us, but the 'Smash Town' exhibit is closed until further notice for repairs. Thank you for your cooperation." The system clicked off, and Zelda smiled.
"See, honey?" She kissed Marth on the cheek, "The speaker system works just fine again. Soon, the Smash exhibit wall screens will work again as well."
Marth smiled, giving his wife a kiss on her lips. "You always know how to cheer me up."