Collection of the Smash Stories: Unearthed
Chapter 7- Smasher Marth
Tune4Toons: Ah, it feels good to be writing again. Does anyone even still recognize me anymore lol? Q^Q Pardon this lazy dunce who came out of a sudden, long hiatus (who's also gonna actually graduating high school soon haha).
Welcome to this Collection of Smash Stories from a quieter part of The Fanfics Forum. Small personal snippet: I love doing collabs! So I heard from KF and figured it's been a while, so why not? I started in my first story in 2011, and though it's not here anymore, SSB has always been where my roots take place.
Anyways, enjoy~
Marth
He shouldn't be hiding behind a tree.
Really, the cloak looked too obvious.
Either a ray of sun would give away the silver circlet under his hood or one of the children's voices across the grass field would call him out, but he remained silent. The earth beneath his boots told him to stay. The light breeze whispered to remain hidden for a while longer.
At the edge of the grass field sat the Great Fox, metal hull digging a crater in the dirt. Surrounding it were shadows of the past chattering about, old faces he had yet to greet because he hadn't grasped the right words to say.
"Welcome back, Marth."
Marth jumped, hand grabbing his Falchion on instinct. A second later, he relaxed as he glanced up and spotted a caped bat on a tree branch.
Or rather, a masked Meta Knight looming over him.
Marth chuckled, relaxing his grip as he took off his hood. "Had I not known better, that branch would've been struck down."
He couldn't tell from under the mask, but Meta Knight must've been smirking the whole time. "So certain so soon?"
The knight may be two feet tall, but Marth knew better; the two faced off in the finals together after all. Their duel ended in sweat, chipped blades, and a victory crown atop Meta Knight's head. Marth could still smell the beer, hear the roars of excitement coming from his comrades, and the pats on his back congratulating him for a great fight. He sighed. It'd been four years since then. Fast forward, and here he was, well aware not every friend he made that time would return again this year.
"Glad it's you, friend." Marth turned back to watch the kids chase each other along the grass. "Anyone else and they'll cause too big a commotion." A pause. "Prepared for the tournament yet?"
No answer.
Instead, his ears caught a sword unsheathing. He turned his head only to see Meta Knight leap off the branch. Marth smiled, whipping out his sword in time to block an incoming blade plummeting down on his head.
A resounding clang pushed Marth back against the tree.
"One and a half seconds," Meta Knight said. "You've slowed."
Marth chuckled. "So have you."
Meta Knight held pressure against Marth's sword. He then flipped backwards and landed on the grass effortlessly. However, Meta Knight kept his sword up. We've only started, his stance spoke in turn. "Good to see you haven't lost your fight."
Marth directed his Falchion down at Meta Knight. No words. Only soldiers' grunts, metals' gleams under the sun, and breezes' whispers taunting them both to make the first strike. Go on, they said. He's right there. Lure him out.
By now, the voices across the field quieted down. Stealing a quick glance to his right, Marth spotted the crowd grow from a few kids to familiar veterans standing behind them to watch his standoff. There was Fox grinning like the sly fox he was. Samus in her proud stance—wonder what she was thinking. Mario and his brother, Link and his princess, a jumpy Sonic, some others he didn't recognise.
"Don't lose focus now." Meta Knight leapt up, slashing his sword forward. Marth side-stepped. Dodged. Another strike forward, Marth blocked the incoming blade and shoved it backward. Meta Knight swung once again, a barrage of slashes one after another pushing Marth across the field as he tried to block them all. Clangs sparked the air. Though once Marth planted his feet to stop his advances, Meta Knight twisted around where their swords both met and butted his handle against Marth's back, forcing Marth to stumble forward into the ground.
Meta Knight grunted. "Done?"
"Not yet." Marth quickly kicked off the dirt and swung Falchion behind him, prompting Meta Knight to push back in time to dodge.
By now, the spectators that gathered thirty feet away started hooting and cheering. Marth took a breath in and closed his eyes. There he was again in the stadium, where lights shone above and surrounding crowds roared his name as he claimed the stage.
Blink and he dashed forward, bringing an uppercut from under Meta Knight. He tried to block it, but Marth brought his sword down and up again, rapid successions pushing Meta Knight back the way he did him.
Marth smiled as sweat dropped. He hadn't experienced energy in his veins since the last tournament. Four years of peace, silence, and paperwork couldn't make up for the adrenaline he had now.
But Meta Knight still had a trump left. He ducked under Marth's last swing and thrust his sword forward. Marth side-stepped, but the sword ripped through his cloak as Meta Knight twisted the cloth around his blade. Meta Knight then pulled him forward, pulled his blade out, and directed it inches from Marth's neck.
Marth chuckled. "Look up." And Meta Knight did. Marth held hard on Falchion's handle, blade tip pointing down between Meta Knight's eyes.
The battle ended as a draw. Both warriors stepped back.
Meta Knight grunted in approval. "Not bad."
Marth sighed, twisting his wrist as he slid Falchion back in its sheath. "Still no match for a champion such as yourself. Do you always greet comrades with a match?"
He only received a laugh from Meta Knight, a rare occurrence in his experience. "Just wanted to keep you in shape. Still a worthy adversary nonetheless. Welcome back."
From the chattering crowd across the field, Marth spotted Pit waving as he ran toward the two of them, others soon following. There was Donkey Kong bellowing, Pikachu squeaking, Bowser grumbling, and Peach giggling. Old memories returned despite missing voices like Falco smug remarks, Ganondorf's sneers, and even his fellow swordsman Ike's laughs. They would be back soon though, he bet. Only a matter of when and where.
But he nodded. Gave a smile to the wind and a quick eye at new faces he had yet to greet.
"It's good to be back."
The games only just begun.
Tune4Toons: Wow. So behind on SSB news, had to double check who was coming back. (Thank you KF for the note haha!) I figured I'd take a break on angst and try an action piece for the first time in a while before I return back to a little hiatus.
Concrits, critiques, the like is always appreciated. Be sure to check out everyone else's works as well! Stay tuned for more one shots to come.
Cheers!
