Alright! The story's officially up and running! Okay, so the OC is kinda nameless right now... you'll see why below. Oh, and if you've played Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door before, then you won't have a problem recognizing this place.
Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the (currently) nameless OC. Everything else belongs to Nintendo.
Here we go!
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"Ma'am? Ma'am? Please wake up, Ma'am."
The one being called 'Ma'am' began to stir. She felt very confused after her dream the night before, involving spirits, a prophecy, and a silver puddle.
She began to sit up, and she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She jumped and yelped as she realized that she was not in her room.
What the hell! I don't recognize this place! Where am I?
"Ma'am! Please calm down! We don't want to cause a panic!" She dared to look up at the source of the voice that woke her.
Her jaw dropped as she saw a Koopa Troopa looming over her. He stood tall and dignified, his small white moustache perfectly groomed. His old green eyes gazed down at her with a form of curiosity. The color of his shell was hidden by a neatly buttoned dark gray overcoat, with a special seal that she wasn't sure what it meant.
"Ma'am, you were sleeping near a train station. We can't have that. You need to find a place to stay." She looked around. Indeed, there was a shining black-and-gold train almost directly in front of her. Behind her, there was a Cheep-Cheep, watching the incident intently, with what she could swear was a Warp Pipe behind him. She looked back at the Koopa Troopa.
"But, I wasn't here last night! I just had this weird dream, and I woke up here!" She exclaimed.
"Dream?" The Koopa Troopa replied. "Describe your dream."
She began from the point where there was nothing but darkness, and finished when the light and laughing had faded, not leaving a single detail out.
"Hmm…" He was deep in thought. In the meantime, she looked down at her hands. Her eyes widened as she realized her hands were snow white with black stripes. She looked down and behind her to find a tail, patterned the same way. She felt the top of her head to find that her ears had changed, too.
"Ack! I've changed!" She yelled. She even had a different outfit on. She was now wearing a dark green shirt and camouflage pants. In addition, she now had a pair of black-and-white running shoes, clean and shining.
"Changed, Ma'am?"
"Yes! I didn't have any of this clothing on before!"
"Ma'am, about your dream…"
"Yes, what is it?"
"You need to get to Nintendo City, correct?"
She realized that all of it was indeed very real, not just a dream, and that she did have to get to Nintendo City, no matter what.
"…Yes, I do. Hey, where am I now, anyway?"
"You are at the train station in Rogueport."
"R-Rogueport?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Now, do you want to go to Nintendo City, or not?"
"Yes, I do, Mr.… I'm sorry; I still don't know your name."
"Briggs."
"Right. Mr. Briggs." She smiled, knowing that this man could help her.
He started to lead her through the stone tunnel into town. "And what would your name be?"
She drew in breath to reply, but she could not seem to remember her own name. She searched every nook and cranny of her mind in desperation.
Name, name! Dammit, I can't even remember my own name!
"Is there a problem, Ma'am?" Mr. Briggs glanced back to find her in intense thought.
"Yes. I… well… Would you believe me if I told you that I can't remember my name?"
"It's happened before. Yes, I believe you. Should I continue to call you 'Ma'am'?"
The tigress replied, "Yes, I guess there's nothing else that I can really be called right now."
"Alright." They stopped in front of a building with a picture of a Fire Flower. Briggs stopped and turned to her, saying:
"Wait right here. I won't be long."
"Okay."
Briggs entered the building. She sat down and began to contemplate what she could use for a name.
Maybe I should use something with, like, 'Silver,' 'Light,' or maybe 'Dream.' Well, the first light came out of my Gamecube… Maybe I should use 'Gamecube' as a name… I just don't know… 'Gamecube… Silverlight?' I just don't know. There's something odd about the surname that I don't really like. But the first name's okay. Hmm…
She glanced over at the rickety sign, creaking as it rocked back and forth. Its paint was dull and pieces of it were chipped. The tigress figured that if she ever got the chance, she would come back and fix that sign.
A door opened. Briggs was back. He had a look of triumph on his face.
"Good news, Ma'am."
She pricked her ears. "What is it?"
"I managed to get you a ticket that is good not just for the boat to the mainland, but good for all the transportation you'll need to get to Nintendo City!"
She jumped right up. "That's great! When does the boat leave?"
"If you want to leave immediately, the next departure is in about an hour. Is that okay?"
"Oh, yes, sir! I have to go ASAP!"
Briggs and the tigress went through the town, gathering things she needed for her journey. A supply of food, a canteen, filled to the brim with water, a Fire Flower or two should she need to defend herself. Then, they headed for the harbor.
Briggs was giving her some final tips for when she departed.
"Don't lose the ticket. You'll need it for all the transportation. The food is for when you have already arrived at Nintendo City and have set off on your journey. And, you needed to go to the heart of the city, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"They probably meant near Central Square. There's a lovely park nearby the central monument. They could mean that place as well."
"Oh. Thanks for specifying that."
"No problem. And, Ma'am?"
"Yes?"
"One thing doesn't add up about your dream: If the prophecy mentions thirty-one heroes, then why are you meant to meet only nineteen of them? What of the others?"
She had wondered that, but she couldn't find the answer. "I-I'm not sure, Mr. Briggs."
A loud foghorn sounded when she had finished speaking. She still felt that she had a million questions, none whose answers would calm her anxiety. She got her ticket ready and headed for the small ship.
"Wait." Mr. Briggs seemed to have one more thing to say. "Hold out your hand."
She did so. In her hand went a batch of pieces of paper. When she examined them, they bore some resemblance to the currency of her old life.
"Wha…?"
"Those are Nintendian dollars. You may need to restock on supplies later on. No matter what Realm you're in, you can use this money."
She felt her eyes shine with gratitude at Briggs' generosity.
"Thank you so much, sir! I won't forget this!"
"I'm sure you won't. Now, go. The ferry awaits."
She kept casting glances over her shoulder as she neared the boat. She showed her ticket to the Toad that stood at the entrance. He nodded and allowed her in. She immediately climbed to the highest deck as the boat departed. She saw Mr. Briggs and wove good-bye. As the harbor began to grow smaller, he returned her gesture and shouted so that she could hear:
"Good luck! Be safe! Be strong! And no matter what happens, don't give up!"
When the harbor faded from view, she thought: I won't give up, Mr. Briggs. I won't give up.
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I promise, there will be Smashers in the next chapter, which is coming soon. Tell me how you like the story so far! (Please?)
