Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, I've been having some trouble lately.
Dark Dawn Chapter 7: Getting Nowhere
The city was completely deserted. Nothing living could be detected for miles. Abandoned buildings and houses stood silently, waiting for a time they would be used again. Doors were left wide open, as if their residents had rushed to escape. The gyroids, small mechanical housekeepers and the signature of Smashville, stood next to each house, lifeless eyes staring into nothing.
The group slowly made their way through the city, searching for any indication of the whereabouts of their comrades. Three of them were suspended in midair, unconscious, as Mewtwo had elected to carry the wounded. The others, however, were all prepared for combat. Link kept one hand on the hilt of his sword at all times, while Pit's bow was held at the ready. Slippy was doing his best to remain small and unthreatening behind Fox, who was fingering the pistol at his belt lightly. Mario had taken the lead.
"T-this place is c-creepy," Slippy stuttered, obviously frightened.
"Come on, Slippy. I know you're not scared of a little silence," Fox said, "Besides, you can hold your own in a fight as well as anyone."
"In an Arwing, maybe!" Slippy shrieked, "I don't do close combat, it's whyI use an Arwing!"
"But your technological abilities are unrivaled," Mewtwo cut in, "Do you not have a weapon to use?"
"Oh, well, I do have this." From his vest Slippy produced a medium sized gun. It was a pistol with a laser sight and multiple labeled settings. The switch was placed firmly between 'kill' and 'explodify'.
"I made it myself," he announced proudly.
"See?" Fox asked, "As long as you can shoot straight you'll be fine."
The conversation was cut short by the sound of glass breaking. The group reacted instantly. Hands were raised, weapons were leveled, and attacks were prepared, ready to dispose of any threat. What stumbled out from behind a broken window was anything but. The figure was humanoid, possessing a male build, and had no face. It was also made completely out of wires. What appeared to be a heart was beating inside its transparent chest, somehow managing to stay alive despite its lack of blood. The warriors lowered their weapons, well aware that the Wireframe approaching them was friendly.
"Well, looks like Master Hand is here after all," Fox said, mostly to himself.
"And he sent this to greet us?" Mewtwo asked. "Why?"
Pit sighed. "I think I might know why," he said. He pointed to the strange being. "I believe this one will show us the way."
"The way to what?"
The Wireframe nodded and motioned for them to follow, which they did without another word, as it could not speak. It led them through the city along a seemingly random path, changing course suddenly and quickly, never waiting for stragglers. Slippy asked if it was lost, only to be shushed by Pit. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the Wireframe stopped. It looked to either side, then knelt down and remained motionless.
"What's it doing now?" Fox asked, his tone somewhat annoyed.
"Revealing the path," Pit responded.
Suddenly, the Wireframe leapt to its feet, thrusting its arms outward. Moments later, reality itself was ripped apart. There was a gust of wind, and a giant portal tore itself into being. Inside, a majestic gate materialized before them. It appeared to be wrought of pure gold, and would have been beautiful, had it not been completely destroyed. The gate itself had been ripped from its hinges, apparently blown inward by a powerful force. Scorch marks covered the pieces. Beyond the ruined gate was standing an equally ruined mansion. The building had once been a symbol of honor and resolve, a place where friends and enemies alike could forget their limits and fight without fear. Now it was a mere shadow of its former self. The doors had also been forcibly removed, and the entire left wing was gone, simply ripped from the rest of structure. The right wing had fared better, but the wall sported a hole where something large had emerged.
Mario gasped. "What happened here?"
"Dusk." Pit said. "Before any of us arrived he attacked the Smash Mansion. I believe he has captured the Hand of Destruction."
"Crazy Hand?"
"Yes."
"So," Fox started, "he did this without any damage to the city?"
"There are many entrances to this dimensional pocket," Pit answered, "but the city's is the most convenient, as well as the most destructive should the area become unstable."
"So that's the real reason we evacuated?" Mario asked. "Because it's unstable now?"
"Most likely."
"Wait," Mewtwo said. "This portal has become unstable. Why are we currently standing next to it?"
The question hung in the air for a moment. Then the Wireframe lashed out with an arm and caught Link in chest. The warrior was thrown back, but landed on his feet, sword drawn.
"It's a trap!" Mario yelled.
Link rushed forward and thrust his sword into the Wireframe's face; it didn't react.
"Cruel Frame!" Link shouted, back flipping out of range of its fists as he ripped his blade from its head. The rest of the group reacted instantly. Mewtwo launched a shadowball while Mario leapt into the fray. The Wireframe was knocking the plumber away when the ball struck it, blasting it into the air. Pit and Fox took the opportunity to open fire, arrows and blaster shots taking their toll on the being's wiry body. It landed with a dull thud, then began to get to its feet.
"Fox!" Slippy shouted, running towards the Wireframe with his weapon held at the ready. "I have an idea! Use your kinetic friction shield!"
"My what?"
"The firefox thing, quick!" Slippy began to charge his gun with practiced speed, a green glow beginning to emanate from it. Fox jumped into the air and activated a device in his vest, causing him to immediately burst into flame. With a cry of "Fire!" he launched his flaming body at the Wireframe. It had already recovered, however, and was drawing back to punch the lupine from the sky.
"Gotcha!" cried Slippy as he released the trigger, firing a massive blast of energy. The blast collided with the Wireframe at the same time Fox drove it into the ground. An explosion erupted, throwing dirt and rocks into the air. Fox, just for spite, activated his reflector, electrocuting his opponent and driving it further into the ground. He got up and leapt out the hole, wiping the dirt off his vest.
"I really hate those guys."
Pit smacked himself in the head. "How could I have been so foolish!?"
"You couldn't have known," Mewtwo said. "But there is no time, we still must escape."
Fox nodded. "Right, let's go." He started off towards the portal. The wind whipped up again, and as quickly as it had appeared, the rip was gone.
"No!" Fox shouted as he broke into a full sprint. Mario and Link followed suit. They reached the spot were the portal had been, only for nothing to happen. Mario fell to his knees and slammed the ground with his fist.
"It's gone," he sighed.
"We are in luck that is all that happened," Pit said as he approached. "It could have drawn the entire city in on itself or, at the very least, exploded."
A sudden, booming laugh echoed throughout the area. It seemed to come from all directions, but lacked the odd feeling of telepathy.
"I WOULDN'T CALL IT LUCK, YOUNG ANGEL!" The voice, like the laugh, came from nowhere.
Mario immediately jumped to his feet. "Master Hand!?"
"CORRECT."
"Where are you?"
In response, another portal opened before them. It was much cleaner than the other, appearing as a simple circle in the air rather than a rip between dimensions. Floating beyond it was a giant white-gloved hand. Master Hand became a fist and then pointed.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? HURRY UP!"
They quickly stepped through the portal. Once it had closed behind them, the gate disappeared into a concrete wall. The rest of the room was bare, save for the giant floating hand. There was a knock at the door. Master Hand visibly flinched.
"OH, RIGHT. YOU HAVE BEEN MISSED."
The door swung inward, revealing a small welcoming committee.
"Mario!" cried Princess Peach as she rushed him, her pink dress trailing behind her. He returned her greeting and hug, going so far as to lift her off the ground. Peach merely laughed. Standing behind them was Luigi, who gave a nervous, "Hey, Bro," and then decided to leave them alone.
"Link," Zelda said in a much calmer voice. "Welcome back." She held out her hand. Link took it with a smile and kissed it before kneeling down before her. Pit took a cue and also knelt down saying, "Your highnesses. Peach, Zelda."
"Please, that is not necessary," Zelda said, smiling as she glanced at Peach and Mario.
"Yo Fox!" Falco called, pushing his way through. "You alive?" He looked Fox up and down and, seemingly satisfied, said, "Good enough," and left. Fox just laughed and greeted Krystal and Peppy, who came in after Falco.
"Excuse me," Mewtwo interrupted. "But we have wounded to attend to."
"Oh, dear," Peach said, looking over Roy, Young Link, and Sonic. "Is this all of them?"
"Yes."
Master Hand flinched again.
"Oh," Peach murmured. "Well, I'll take care of them. Zelda, would you like to help?"
"Of course."
"Alright then," Said Peach, "follow me."
"Wait." Slippy said. Peach turned around.
"Yes?"
"Where exactly are we?"
Peach directed a not-quite-glare at Master Hand. She shrugged. "We don't know, actually. In fact, he-" She pointed at the hand, "-refused to tell us until you got here."
Everyone looked at the hand, who made a coughing noise. "YES, WELL. YOU SEE… WE'RE, UM, AT NOOKINGTON'S."
"What!?" Pit cried. "We are still in Smashville!?"
"UNDER IT, ACTUALLY," Corrected Master Hand, "TOM NOOK BUILT A BASEMENT COMPLEX AS A STOREHOUSE FOR HIS GOODS. WE HAVE PLENTY OF SUPPLIES.
"So we're living in a warehouse?" Mario asked.
"YES. SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS HAVE YET TO BE DECIDED, HOWEVER.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"PERFECTLY. I'M KEEPING THE MANSION DIMENSION STABLE. IT WILL NOT EXPLODE ON MY WATCH."
Pit stepped forward. "Can Dusk find us?"
"NO, I AM VEILING OUR LOCATION."
"The same way you veiled the Mansion?" Pit asked in a near whisper.
Silence descended around the room. Everyone shifted uneasily; Master Hand was clenching and unclenching his fist. After a few moments, Peach broke it first.
"Well," she said, "I'm going to take care of these guys. Come on, Mewtwo." She exited the room quickly. Another tense moment passed.
"RIGHT," Master Hand said. "LET'S GET SOME SLEEP. SOMEONE SHOULD STAND WATCH, JUST IN CASE. GOOD NIGHT!"
With that, the hand disappeared completely. Those gathered slowly filed out through the door. Soon, only Pit was left. The angel sighed and looked at the ground.
"You never answered my question," he said to no one. He sighed again and walked out. Had he waited a little longer, he might have seen the hand reappear. It was Master Hand's turn to sigh.
"BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW, PIT, I JUST DON'T KNOW."
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Yes, Master Hand speaks in all caps. Because a giant floating hand that speaks only in capital letters is the best character ever. I tried to make him at least slightly serious, but won't know if I pulled it off until I get some reviews. Which reminds me, I like reviews. Please let me know how I'm doing!