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Chapter Three: Brave New Earth
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Along an ocean thousands of miles southeast of the Mushroom Kingdom, floated a large cruise ship owned by Princess Daisy of Sarasaland who catered to thousands of passengers as part of a grand party under the night sky of Earth. Consisting of various floors with a giant logo of Daisy's head on each side along with various flower motifs, the Daisy Cruiser was designed to be a pleasure boat, a race course for karting competitions, and a baseball stadium all at once. Boarded by Piantas, Toads, Yoshis, Kongs, Birdos, and many other people of a diversity of races, the Cruiser's party was hosted by both Daisy and her cousin, Peach, in part due to their love of social occasions, as well in celebration of the present, universal state of peace with all the known villains nowhere in sight making trouble.
While many guests were gathered in the Cruiser's dining room where much foodstuffs, others were outside near the large pool waiting for the fireworks show, or trying to distract themselves from the food. Among those not present were the notorious treasure hunters and sportsmen, Wario and Waluigi, who said they had important matters to attend. Not that many were very disappointed by the fact. Coincidently, in place of the two anti-heroes and villains, more reputable characters were among the roster, including two Human superstars at the front deck of the Cruiser.
"Great party, huh, Big Bro?" Said a contented Luigi in his refined accent to his shorter, stockier, older twin, Mario.
Possessing a thinner, chinless face compared to his brother, Luigi had blue eyes that were more oval-shaped, his hair was of a dark maroon color with the same hairstyle as his brother, his mustache dark brown, smooth, and each half tilting. Luigi also wore similar clothes to Mario such as gloves. Layered over his long-sleeved green shirt were unfaded dark denim jean overall with light yellow buttons which reached above his ankles and dark brown work shoes with tan bottoms that reached above his ankles, as well. Both were darker than the ones worn by his brother. One of his most important pieces of clothing was his signature green cap with a white tip encircling the "L" on the front. A bit of a cautious and considerably self-conscious coward, Luigi was, in fact, known to overcome his fears and worries to act like a hero when the need had arisen. Although he had earned himself an entire fan club due to his many heroics, even Bowser once had trouble remembering his name. Yet that didn't stop him from going on adventures alone, or with Mario and obtaining popularity where it's due.
"Sure is, Luigi." Replied an equally contented and refined accented Mario.
Brown-haired with a black mustache, light blue-eyed, he wore a red shirt and red cap with an "M" on the front, and possessing a hairstyle with three swooped up bangs with two flips at the top and four at the back of his head, Mario was famous throughout the universe as a hero with multiple admirers and jobs in plumbing, medicine, sports, martial arts, carpentry, and toy manufacturing among others. Headstrong and occasionally cocky, Mario was immutably friendly, heroic, and fiery with a love for food. Proving himself time and again as an excellent fighter, all-around sports player, and party lover, Mario, however, could be impulsive and deep down resented the limitations that forced him to get help and partners.
"Hey, Mario Bros.!" Said a familiar, energetic voice.
Turning their gaze from the ocean, the two brothers saw the hostesses themselves in their swimsuits.
The owner of the voice was Sarasaland ruler, Princess Daisy. A taller Human with ginger hair and blue eyes, her eyes were round and large with each having two, thick lashes on the side while her hair was long with parted bangs and a flip. Her swimsuit was a yellow leotard with orange lining on either side with a viridian-green jewel surrounded by flower-shaped white rims as a staple for a brooch. She wore similar jewels for her earrings and the back and front of her golden crown which also had rubies on either side. A competitive, sassy tomboy and show-off in sports and parties, she had a tendency to use slang terms from various ways of speech and to stand with her hands on her hips. Aside from her home in Sarasaland and skills in leadership, she retained a home at the Sarasaland embassy in the Mushroom Kingdom and magical abilities based on flowers. All the same, she was Peach's best friend and was rumored to be Luigi's main crush.
"How are you enjoying the party, little dudes?" Daisy asked.
"It's great, Princess!" Luigi exclaimed.
"I'm very eager for the fireworks show." Admitted Mario.
"As am I, Mario." Replied Princess Peach.
A slightly taller Human with golden-blonde hair and sky-blue eyes, Peach had a similar body type to her cousin's, but with a more elongated waist and unique frame in comparison. Her skin was fair in complexion, her nose was pert, pointed, and sharp with a curved stem and her puffy smile was covered in round, pink lipstick. Her eyebrows a dark shade of her hair while being thin and small. Her deep-set, oval eyes were smaller than Daisy's possessing multiple, thin lashes consisting of light cyan tones. Her thick, flowy, long hairstyle consisted of four, small, flipped pieces which reached above shoulder-length, heart-shaped bangs shaping down the center of her forehead, and long, split, ear-tails that shaped her oval, soft, and pointed face. Her hair tied up in a ponytail for this special occasion, Peach wore a golden crown with two rubies o either side and two sapphires on the front and back, a pair of round sapphire earrings, and a sapphire brooch set in gold on her light pink leotard with dark pink stripes on the sides. Well known for her adventurous personality and noble spirit, she was more than capable of acting tough and enjoyed trying new things. Although occasionally naïve and lonely, Peach was also competitive, motherly, and shared a deep, devoted relationship with Mario while having considerable skill in magical hearts.
Not long after Peach's response, five Kongs came forward to join in on their conversation.
"Hey, everybody!" Said Donkey Kong.
An ape with muscular pecs, a slim stomach, along with large triceps and biceps all covered in chocolate-brown fur which on the top of his head gave the appearance of a Human hairstyle, Donkey Kong only wore a red necktie with his initials printed on it in yellow. A laid-back and brave hero with simple intelligence, Donkey tended to get into trouble with villains who threatened his banana horde, home island, along with his relatives and friends as well with Mario on occasion, but was capable of reconciling with his friendly rival.
"Good to see you made it, dudes and dudettes!" Cheered Daisy as she hugged the Kongs one by one.
"This party's awesome, Princesses!" Said Donkey's spider monkey-like nephew and close companion, Diddy Kong.
Possessing big black eyes as large as his ears, he wore a red cap with the word Nintendo on it and a red tank top with yellow stars on it, Diddy had shown to be very quick and nimble opposed to his uncle's great strength and proficient with a jetpack.
"It's quite romantic, isn't it?" Asked Diddy's girlfriend, Dixie Kong as she held his right arm her own hands.
Blonde haired tied up in a long, thick ponytail with the sides of her bangs longer and curled, she was green-eyed with fur lighter in shade than Diddy's, and wore a pink beret that matched her pink tied top along with large blue pearl earrings. A very brave hero more than happy to go on her own adventures, Dixie was one of the most active Kongs with a tomboyish and assertive yet cheerful and lively demeanor.
"And best of all, no stupid bad guys." Blurted Funky Kong.
Possessing the same general build as Donkey, Funky's fur was light brown in color and he wore a polka-dot bandanna, purple tinted sunglasses, a black belt around his blue shorts, and a white muscle shirt. A mechanical tinkerer, pilot, and shop owner, Funky preferred showing his bold mood during parties and sport events instead of adventuring with the rest of the Kong Family.
"Please, don't jinx it, Funky." Asked a tired Candy Kong.
Blue-eyed, furred with pink shades, her blonde hair going slightly below her shoulders, she had pink nails, pink lipstick, and blue eye shadows, and wore a pink bikini top with her name on it and pink mini-shorts with a dark pink belt. Candy was rumored to be Donkey's girlfriend, although she viewed him not ready to settle down and Donkey himself had conflicting feelings for Mario's close friend and business partner, Pauline.
"Shame the rest of the Family had to miss this, huh?" Asked Luigi
"What are you going to do?" Shrugged Diddy.
"Tiny's teaching baseball, Cranky's reflecting on his anniversary, and the rest had too much to do." Explained Dixie.
"Maybe some day they'll come over." Suggested Candy.
"So, how are Yoshi, Birdo, and the professor holding up?" Asked Peach.
"They're fine." Said Donkey. "Professor Gadd had to make a call to one of his labs and the two dinosaurs are having some private moments, but they'll be here for the show."
After ten minutes of casual conversations, the nine friends were joined by a vast majority of the passengers in preparation for the fireworks which would be fired from the Mushroom Kingdom and shown in the sky for all to see. As excited murmurings erupted from person to person, Daisy ordered the deck lights to be turned off slowly while Peach had one of her Mushroom Retainers bring her phone to her so she could alert the firework starters that it was time for the show when something unexpected happened. Before the fireworks emerged a large, bright in the sky which quickly spread wide all over the universe.
"What is that?!" Panicked Luigi over the panicking of the other passengers.
"It appears to be a distortion in the very fabric of our dimension!" Shouted Professor Elvin Gadd as he held the light from his eyes with his left hand.
A short, old Human, E. Gadd had only one visible tooth in the right upper corner of his mouth, uptight white hair, and wore black pants, long brown shoes, a white lab coat over a red buttoned shirt, and glasses with swirls. World-renowned for his scientific achievements in time travel and teleportation among others, E. Gadd was the founder of Gadd Science, Incorporated and an occasional guide to the Mario Bros. during their adventures.
"You mean like a Paranormal Portal?!" Luigi replied, remembering his experience with one in Evershade Valley.
"No, this looks more like a collision with another world that isn't fully paranormal in nature!"
"Then what is going to come through?!" Asked Mario as the light was dying down.
In an instant, the light was replaced by a darkened figure in the night sky that quickly fell right on the cruiser screaming. Seeing its descent, the passengers in the middle front deck stepped back to encircle it when it finally landed on its feet. The lights turned on to reveal a male, blue, quilled creature with gloves and sneakers regaining his composure.
"Wow!" Exclaimed the creature in a relieved, confident voice. "That was one hectic ride through time and space. To top it off, I didn't fall flat on my face like usual. Just hope the guys are okay."
"Monster!" Screamed several of the passengers and crew at the shocked creature who began to notice his surroundings. Many were running around in circles, or trying to escape in the lifeboats.
"Excuse me?" Pleaded Peach as she tried to get everyone's attention. "Excuse me?" She repeated when no one heard. Although they still panicked all the same.
"Quiet!" Yelled an annoyed and loud Donkey who quickly got the attention Peach wanted before anyone even got off the Cruiser. After clearing his throat with a smile, Donkey then said. "The Toad Princess wants to speak."
"Thank you, DK!" Said a happy Peach before turning her gaze to her audience. "Everyone, calm down. I understand this is a big shock, but that's no reason to riot like crazy." Getting closer to the creature, she gestured to him with her left hand before going on. "Look at this little guy. Is this the face of a monster to you? This cute little porcupine's probably just as scared and confused as you are!"
"That's what some people say about Bowser Jr.!" Someone shouted.
"Uh, hello!" Said the creature. "Can the "monster" make his case to the scared people?"
"Yeah, I want-a to hear his story!" Said Mario who walked to the creature without fear before placing his right hand for a shake. "I'm-a Mario!"
Considering it for only a moment, the creature then shook Mario's hand.
"My name is Sonic the Hedgehog!"
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Meanwhile in Bowser's central Castle in Dark Land, the King of Evil and his top henchmen were discussing their strategy for the inter-dimensional travelers arrival in the wake of the universe-wide distortion over a wide holographic map of their world that hovered above a table in the Castle's large, heavily supplied war room where tactics for conquest were planned.
"The time-space disruption appeared to have spread not only across Earth, but across the universe itself due to some sort of collision with not another dimension, but a whole multiverse altogether." Explained Ludwig in a calculating tone.
"There's more than one?" Asked a confused Larry Koopa.
Like most of his siblings, the youngest Koopaling had tan and yellow skin, a padded stomach and pair of feet, and a green head with a blue star on the left side. Possessing two, fang-like teeth placed in a similar position to Roy's, his face was also similar aside from the jawline. His eyes were large, oval and light blue, his head oval-shaped, his ice blue hair spiky and combed, his shell was also light blue with the back spikes circled with blue rings, and he wore spiked cuffs like his brothers. Short-tempered and devious, he had an interest into horror and sports while sharing his siblings' loyalty to Bowser who was deeply fond of Larry for his usual stamina and sneaky ways.
"All worlds are collected into a multiverse which is, theoretically, a part of a greater omniverse that comprises all of creation, little brother." Said the fourth oldest Koopaling, Iggy Koopa.
The tallest and thinnest of his pack, Iggy had teeth similar to Morton's with a straight mouth and jutting jawline, his hair was a tall plant-like stalk of lime-green tipped with darker green, his large, oval eyes held a pair of glasses with eccentric, blue-ringed swirls, and his green shell had purple spike rings. A crazed, mechanical genius with a penchant for trickery and emotional sadism, Iggy was, however, an animal person and cared for his family greatly.
"Can we at least find out where these people are?" Asked Wendy O. Koopa with a hint of impatience.
The fifth oldest Koopaling and sole female, her round, bald head matched her yellow and tan skin complexion with thinning, feminine legs, round cheeked with a puffy, round mouth covered in pink lipstick, she had blonde eyebrows that extended off her face with her eyelashes and large, round eyes with light blue irises. She wore thick, pink pumps, golden bracelets on her wrists in place of her brothers cuffs, a long, beaded, red necklace, a large pink bow with white polka-dots, and a pink shell with grey spike rings. Wendy was the spoiled materialist of her group with desires for wealth, prestige, and becoming Bowser's favorite Koopaling. Possessing passions for water and singing, Wendy adopted studious and tomboyish traits due to her dealings with her family's enemies and being the only female among the Koopalings. Despite her faults, she was fanatically devoted to her legal guardian and his cause.
"I'm not sure that's possible, Lady Wendy." Said Kamek. Pointing toward the map, he explained. "The distortion was on a very large-scale. They could be anywhere. Assuming they're together."
"Did you and Junior finish the descriptions we saw in the vision, old friend." Said Bowser to Kamek with arms folded and sitting in an armed command chair at the left end of the table.
"As you commanded, Royalty." The old Magikoopa replied with an eager nod and salute.
Changing the map into images of the space station and the robot fighters and controller from the vision, Kamek pointed to the orbital fortress first.
"From what I gathered in my premonition, the fortress is christened the Death Egg. It's master is the moustached Human in red named Doctor Ivo Robotnik. Although he was called by many aliases such as Eggman for example."
Kamek's debriefing was interrupted by laughter from his fellows.
"Eggman?!" Exclaimed Lemmy. "What kind of stupid nickname is that?!"
"Not that he doesn't look like an egg." Said Morton cheerfully.
"Yes, yes, it was hard for me to take it seriously either." Spoke Kamek before shaking his head. "But the name doesn't matter. His advanced technology and grand ambitions are what we need to turn the tide in our favor. Especially if he can lead us to the Chaos Emeralds."
"Those jewels from the vision?" Said King Boo wondering.
Kamek nodded to the ghost ruler.
"I don't know how far their power goes, but if they could send their possessors across the omniverse, they must be more powerful than a hundred Super Stars."
"Powerful enough to control time and space." Said an eager Bowser rubbing his hands together before adopting a serious look. "All the same, we must handle the situation first, preferably before our enemies find out."
Before anyone could continue the meeting, a beeping nose signaling from a nearby computer paused the gathered evildoers.
"I will answer it, Sirs and Ma'am's." Offered General Guy in his straightforward mannerism.
Fairly short and wearing a white mask that served as his face with holes that represented eyes and a mouth over his true, secret face, General Guy was a grey robed Shy Guy dressed with a peaked cap, shoulder patches, and a gold medal with a red ribbon on it. The faithful leader of his people under Bowser's rule, the General had childish and cowardly tendencies, but was considered to be reliable enough to follow Bowser's instructions without question.
Walking towards the computer, the General answered the caller to reveal a low ranking Boo calling from the rain-drenched capital of Neo Bowser City.
"I apologize for the interruption, Glorious Leaders, but I wish to ask for reinforcements from the Castle." Explained the respectful Boo.
"For what purpose?" Asked Kamek.
"During the distortion, a black animal with gloves, some traces of red, white chest hair, and futuristic shoes emerged from out of nowhere. When we tried to question him, he ran very fast as if startled."
Glances were exchanged from across the table as they knew the description resembled one of the fighters from the vision. Then Bowser emerged from his seat and joined General Guy at the computer.
"Make sure the intruder does not leave the city." Ordered Bowser. "See what you can do to surround him. I will join you personally in this matter."
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Shadow ran as fast as he could through the bottom of a brightly lit city in the rain he did not recognize. Separated from his friends and allies, he was chased by strange creatures he had never seen before. From gigantic turtles that tried to step on him to masked, red robed, short men with blue shoes and carrying black cannons that fired bullets with serious eyes and fists at the black hedgehog. Unlike his blue rival, Shadow could only move at supersonic speeds with his Hover Shoes and even they had limitations.
"Send the Death Egg to another dimension." Shadow said in a way that was intended to mock Sonic. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." Turning more serious he shouted. "When I see that idiot, I'll kill him for real this time!"
Seeing his surroundings, Shadow saw what appeared to be a race course and a billboard with a huge, shelled, monster with red hair and eyes as well as a large snout. Trying to escape his pursuers through an alley, Shadow saw it came with a dead-end and was quickly surrounded by ghosts, the short men, the giant turtles, and an assortment of creatures he lost count of.
"I don't know where I am, who or what you are, but if it's a fight you're looking for, I'll be more than happy to oblige!" Shadow taunted.
Cruel guffaws took place in response from the small army and the red-haired monster seen on the billboard himself emerging from the mob.
"No need to get so hasty, Shadow." Said the creature calmly.
It's response caught Shadow by surprise as the creature started to make rounds around him.
"You know me?"
"I know you come from another multiverse entirely. I know you came here with powerful friends and enemies with even more powerful items. You have two paths. We either talk gently and you give me what I want, or I force my answers out of you."
Shadow was not impressed by the creature's threats.
"You call that a threat? I destroyed an entire rock full of bloodthirsty aliens to keep my world safe. Don't expect I won't go easy on you."
The creature smiled.
"Very well, then."
Releasing a breath of orange flame, the creature missed Shadow who curled himself into a ball and jumped on him only to be punched to the left wall. Regaining his balance, Shadow fired a lighting bolt made of raw Chaos Energy which collided with lighting from the creature's own hands. Starting a small explosion that brought the creature down on his back with Shadow landing on his stomach and forming a new Chaos Spear as the small army tried to get to them.
"Take another step and your leader dies!" Shadow warned which his enemies took to heart. Turning towards the fire breather, Shadow spoke to him with impatience. "Yield and I'll let you live!"
Soothing anger took hold of his opponent's face.
"Bowser does not yield."
Before he knew it, Shadow was given an uppercut. Flinging him from Bowser and back to the wall. As he tried to make sense of what happened, Shadow saw the uppercut deliverer was a skeletal right arm emerging from Bowser's stomach. Another arm appearing alongside, soon an entire skeleton styled in Bowser's image pulled itself out of its owners body while helping Bowser, whose body of flesh was still holding together, back up and going to his left side. Shadow gawked out of shock and dread.
The skeletal Bowser's nose was beak-shaped, it's shell a charcoal gray with dark red spike rings and scarlet spaces between its plates, the horns longer and more curved, the eye sockets more triangular with thick bone where the eyebrows were supposed to go, the eyes themselves black holes with glowing yellow pupils, the hair was ponytailed, and the collars around the neck and arms were scorched and turned a dull, very dark red. And it shared it's counterpart's serious look of rage.
"He conquers!" The two lookalikes roared in unison before releasing fireballs of orange and blue at the surrounded hedgehog.
Although Shadow was created to be immortal, he was not without senses of pain and the combined flames damaged him greatly. As Bowser and his bony counterpart took a pause, they saw Shadow coughing in charred fur with his few attire pieces damaged or torn to shreds. Seeing his attackers merge as one, lively Bowser in a form of dark magic from a single holding of hands, Shadow adopted a look of pained anger and tried to speak.
"I'll heal... and you will be..."
After attempting to threaten Bowser, Shadow fall on the floor losing consciousness before hearing a smug Bowser say.
"Welcome to a brave, new Earth, Shadow the Hedgehog.
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To be continued
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Behind the scenes
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I based E. Gadd's appearance from what I could tell on his picture on the Super Mario Wiki. Not a lot of characters have very descriptive physical information sections. I was able to find the omniverse thing on the Marvel Comics Database. I know Shadow's the ultimate lifeform, but I wanted to remind people he has his hurt moments. I partly based some scenes from Night at the Museum and the first episode of Beast Machines: Transformers with some lines from its predecessor.
