Here's part two of Smash Chronicles, Switched. I think you'll enjoy the ending, even if it'll leave you with more questions than answers.
"What's wrong with you!?" Peach barked, her face with an easily recognizable look of anger on it, "What is with all this running away talk!? Are you going soft on me?"
Peach was peeved, that was a given. But the reason behind this anger was odd. Though mad at Samus for giving up the fight so easily she was also mad at her self somewhat, or more so her body. Before the switch Samus was one never to back down, though she always analyzed a situation carefully before jumping in, she still never gave up the fight once it started and Peach wondered if the different body that Samus was currently residing in was what was making Samus move toward defeat.
"Look Peach, before you on and make some big speech about how I shouldn't give up and should face this problem head-on you really need to look at this situation seriously." Samus replied, "We're outnumbered, out muscled, and out of luck. Including the fact that we barely know how to control each other's bodies, do you really thing we stand a chance?"
"I know." Replied Peach, her anger lessening, "But I don't run away from my problems, never did."
"Yeah, you get captured by them."
"Hey…"
"We don't have a chance." Samus repeated, breaking her off
"So, it's better than running away. Have you ever run away?"
"Do countdowns to self-destruction of a space satellite and/or planet count?"
"No."
"Then I guess not." Samus sighed, "So, what do we do?"
"Why ask me?"
"You're the one shouting we shouldn't run away." Samus answered, "I thought you might have some sort of plan."
"Uh, not really. Other than barging in and taking the Shadow Queen down." She replied
"Not gonna work." Samus replied, "We'd have to plow through the others first to even get a chance at her and there's no way we could fight them all."
"Yeah." Mumbled Peach, "Too bad we can't just get them to fight each other. That'd be a whole lot easier."
It was at that moment that an idea hit Samus, a rather clever idea.
"Peach, you're a genius!" squealed Samus, "Even if you act a little daft."
"Thanks!" Peach cheered, "Hey, wait a sec, what do you mean by daft?"
"Never mind that, come here." Samus directed, "I think I have a plan."
Peach scooted closer in order to listen in on this 'plan' that Samus had cooking.
"Ah…this is such a great place to begin my conquest of this city." Shadow Queen said as she strolled about an abandoned football stadium, "It's large, but enclosed, and since nobody ever comes over here they never realize what I am doing." She said, "And by the time they do it'll be far too late."
She then turned to her minions, a sinister grin across her face.
"Now then, underlings, remove all of this refuse from the ground. I would like my domain to be clean." She said, pointing to the possessed Smashers
Without delay they went to the task of clearing the stadium of the many things that littered its floor; garbage, discard food-stuffs, debris, etc. While the Smashers went about their orders, the Shadow Queen decided to give the stadium a face lift, by walking to the middle of the field and placing her hand on the fifty yard line. Strange dark lights emanated from her palm, shooting off in random directions, or what one would think. Quickly the dark lights formed a pattern on the ground. Whatever it was it was foreign to the Smashers, though they probably wouldn't have asked since they were basically reduced to drooling puppets. In seconds the entire field was engulfed in the strange pattern, the artificial grass turning dark while the goalposts morphed into gruesome looking dark pikes.
"Perfect." She purred, "A little work and this place will suit me, for the time being at least." She said
Meanwhile…
"Cree-py." Mumbled Peach, having watched the horrible transformation of the abandoned field
"Yeah. But we have other things to worry about than some crazy demon's styling methods." Samus replied, "Look Peach, we can still turn back now. I still don't think we have a chance."
"Maybe not, but I'd rather go down fighting than run from her." She replied
"Yeah, I guess so."
"So, do we rush in and take them out?"
"I think we should try this with a little more finesse." Samus replied, "Follow me."
The simplified Young Link was busy moving a few boxes around, trying to find a place to dump the discarded rectangular containers. Suddenly, he heard a noise, and it sounded like footsteps. Young Link had been ordered to make sure that anybody that came into the stadium was to be taken out and brought to Shadow Queen, so the possessed Hylian dropped the boxes in his hand and raced off to where he heard the noise. He ended up running into a dark hallway.
WHAM! BAM! BOOM!
Moments later…
"Well that was easy." Replied Peach, having finished tying up a dazed Young Link
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now." Samus noted, "We still aren't out of the frying pan. Come on." She said
Peach followed behind Samus closely, a little too close for the body-swapped bounty hunter.
"Do you have to walk so close?" Samus asked
"Sorry." She said
With that they continued their trek, until Samus could feel Peach's breath on her neck.
"Look Peach, it's hard enough walking in this damn nightgown, but could you please stop breathing down my neck?"
"But Samus, I'm over here." Replied Peach, at Samus' side
"Oh…damn."
BOOM!
Shadow Queen watched as Samus and Peach flew from the bleachers in a blaze of shadow flames to land in the football field.
"I was wondering when you two would arrive." She said
"Don't like to disappoint." Muttered Samus, standing to her feet, "Okay Shadow Peach, Let's go!" she barked
"It's Shadow Queen!" Shadow Queen barked back
"Ya look like Peach so that's what I'm calling ya, deal!"
"Why you…!" she growled, ready to charge head-on, until something hit her, "Fuwhahahahaha." She cackled, "You are good." She told Samus, "Trying to anger me so that I would rush off foolishly and allow you the opportunity to defeat me." She said, "No wonder you are such a powerful bounty hunter. But unlike you, I don't need to fight. Boys."
Smashing through a decrepit doorway Bowser made his way on the scene, flames licking at his lips and his muscles poised for battle. In a flash of light Pikachu was on the football field, electricity cackling madly at his cheeks as if it were alive. From a rolling egg popped out Yoshi, the look of darkness plain as day in his eyes. Appearing from seemingly nowhere, the psychic cat Mewtwo made his entrance, paws glowing with shadow energy. And finally, the boy of Hyrule, Young Link…wiggled his way on the field, still unable to free himself from the tight ropes that Samus and Peach used on him.
"Ugh…" muttered Shadow Queen, waving her hand in Young Link's direction
Dark flames ignited the ropes and in moments Young Link was able to break free from his bondage.
"She can make flames appear from her hands?" Thought Samus, "Gotta watch out for that." She told herself, "But I wonder, just what else can she do?"
"Now then…this is your last chance. If you give up now I'll be merciful and spare you the pain you'll be going through. I may need you in one piece, but that doesn't mean you have to be conscious when I take your sprites."
"Shove it." Both Peach and Samus told her
"Insolent little…crush them."
Both females stood back-to-back as the five Smashers rushed them.
"Remember Peach, we stay together, no matter what."
"Okay Samus."
"We're gonna need a miracle to pull this off." Samus murmured
"Or we make our own."
Mewtwo was the first to attack, launching a Shadow Ball at the two females. Samus hopped up and Peach whirled around, smashing the Shadow Ball with the side of her arm cannon. Instead of igniting immediately the Shadow Ball was deflected off the alien weaponry and shot towards an advancing Pikachu who didn't have time to evade.
Boom!
The electric mouse bounced away as Young Link took his place, his sword slashing down toward Peach. Peach blocked, letting her weight pull her down after the strike, thus throwing Young Link off balance. As the boy faltered Samus took hold of his arm and threw him at Yoshi, who took the boy head on. As they tumbled away the claws of Bowser sailed through the air, ready the crush them under their power. Peach ducked, while Samus rolled over Peach's back to avoid the blow, allowing the large claw to slam into the dirt. The impact kicked up dirt, blinding Mewtwo slightly and giving Samus the chance to grab Mewtwo and fling him at Bowser. Unlike Young Link and Yoshi, Mewtwo's much small frame didn't topple Bowser, but it left him open to a fully charged Charge Shot blast.
Blam!
"Not bad Peach, not bad." Samus replied, "Didn't think you'd learn how to use the Charge Shot so quickly."
"Well it wasn't easy." replied Peach, "This suit, its almost like its alive." she said
"It responds partially to your thoughts, but you're the key element in using it. It's almost like an extension of your body. You guide, it follows." Samus explained
"I so wish I had my frying pan right now." Peach told her
"I wish I had some clothes." Samus quipped
Both girls we breathing hard, but looked none the worst for wear and Shadow Queen didn't look the bit pleased by their antics.
"I said crush them you fools!" she barked, "Get up!"
On command they rose to their feet, no sign of wear among any of them. Samus looked toward Shadow Queen for a moment, trying to think of the best way to approach attacking her. But without dealing with her possessed friends she would never get the chance as she dodge a bolt of electricity and smashed her frying pan into Bowser's jaw. The Koopa King skidded back as Yoshi came from his side, swinging his tail at her. Both Samus and Peach spun around, effectively putting Peach in the way of the attack, which she blocked with her arm cannon. Yoshi kicked of the arm cannon in an attempt to follow up his attack, but the girls spun again, placing Samus in the Yoshi's path and his move was quickly interrupted. Using a useful tip she had gotten from Peach, Samus had pulled a turnip from the earth and hefted it at the large dino-dragon. The destructive veggie ricocheted off of Yoshi's head, causing him to overshoot his attack and smash into Mewtwo and sent the mind-bearing feline back and into Pikachu.
"Idiots, they're making you attack yourselves!" The Shadow Queen yelled
But this insight dawned on the possessed Smashers a moment too late as the spiraling turnip from earlier was forcefully kicked toward Young Link, making a plant-to-head collision on the young boy. As Young Link fell Samus saw an opening and took it, making a mad dash for Shadow Queen, but Yoshi and Bowser would have none of it. With Yoshi coming up from behind and Bowser standing in her path, Samus would have to hope Peach would come through for her because the switched Smasher couldn't afford to stop her advancement on the demon of shadows.
There was no worry on Shadow Queens face, for she was confident that Samus would never actually make it to her, especially with Yoshi and Bowser closing in.
"I hope this works." Peach thought, bringing her arm back and then throwing it forward
The fates seemed to be on her side that moment for a beam of electrical energy shot forth from her arm cannon, cackling madly through the air as it made its way toward Yoshi. The dino in question was too focused on stopping Samus to notice the attack, getting a few volts of electricity sent through him for his negligence.
Samus watched as Bowser spread his arms, making a virtual wall between himself and Shadow Queen, but Samus was not daunted by this seemingly impregnable mountain of muscle and kept running straight ahead.
"Samus, look out!" Peach yelled
Samus didn't look back toward Peach to see what was up, but instead jumped up into the air. Bowser's gaze traveled upward toward Samus so he never saw the make-shift mace, normally known as Yoshi, crash into him.
WHAM!
The impact was astounding and powerful enough to topple the Koopa King, allowing Samus free range of the Shadow Queen. After landing Samus pulled her fist back as she approached the demon, hell bent on taking her down in one blow.
"What ever she can do I'll take her down before she can do it!" Samus thought
Having not been prepared for a fight the Shadow Queen was a little taken back at the speed Samus approached her at, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to dodge the punch that Samus was about to unleash upon her. Luckily for Shadow Queen she didn't have to worry about dodging.
Throwing her fist forward with all her might Samus was sure the attack would connect and hopefully put and end to this battle quickly. But moments before contact Samus saw Shadow Queen's eyes glow bright red and before she realized what this meant, the switched fighter felt a couple hundred volts of electricity rip through her.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"
"Samus!" Peach cried and tried to aid her floundering friend, but Yoshi, throwing his full weight into a tackle, stopped her cold
"Fuwhahahahahahahaha!" cackled Shadow Queen, looking upon the fidgeting form of Samus, "You really thought you could finish me? Foolish girl."
Samus groaned as she tried to stand, her body still flashing with ambient dark electricity.
"Hmph…are still trying to rise? I have already told you, it's hopeless to go against me." She said, until she notice Samus ball her fist, "Foolish." She murmured as Samus quickly rose and threw her fist at her once again
Whoosh!
A foul wind escaped the mouth of the Shadow Queen and in moments Samus was encased in a block of black ice.
"Well then, that should cool you off." Mocked the Shadow Queen, giggling somewhat at her wit
It didn't take long for the lack of oxygen to get to Samus, her eyes already clouding over, but she couldn't move an inch, incased in the block of black ice as she was. Peach wanted to help Samus, but she had her hands full trying to fend off the five crazed Smashers who held her back.
"Do not worry. I won't let you suffer for long." She said, raising her hand, "Let me, heat things up for you."
Then with a snap of her fingers Samus lit up like a Christmas tree, the black ice around her replaced with black flames.
"Sam…" Peach tried to call, but was blown away by a powerful burst of psychic energy
Peach was no better off than Samus was, if not worst. The princess had been reduced to a punching bag by the possessed Smashers. The group smashing her into one another with powerful attacks. Flashing lights and alarms blared in her helmet but Peach hadn't a clue what they meant, but could guess they weren't good.
As for Samus, the nightgown-wearing warrior was slipping into unconsciousness, the three-pronged attack that Shadow Queen had hit her with having done a number on her.
"Silly mortal, to truly think you had the power to stop me!?" she said as the dark flames around Samus dissipated, leaving only a slightly smoldering girl in its wake, "But I must commend you on your efforts, however foolish they were." She told the downed Smasher, "Such a spirit will make a prominent addition to my collection."
Reaching into her bag Shadow Queen produced the Samus Aran plushy, holding it toward Samus.
"I missed acquiring your soul once." She said, "I will not miss a second time." She replied, her hand glowing an inky black
Samus could feel a penetrating coldness in her chest and the feeling of something being pulled from her. She wanted to pull back but felt as if the thing she was pulling for was untouchable.
"Guess this is it. I knew we'd never win but at least we tried." Samus thought, "It's gonna suck now that my body's gonna be used by someone like her while I spend the rest of my existence in a collectable. Who knew I'd go out like that?" she wondered, her spirit slowly leaving her, "That smug look on her faces really pisses me off though. If there's one thing I regret is that it's not being able to pound her face in."
Samus was mad. But not like usual when she was facing down Space Pirates and dealing with bounties. No, this anger seemed to stem from nothing, as if it were pure anger itself. The flames of this anger may have been lit by Shadow Queen and her actions, but the truth behind the matter was that this anger could not be identified, it was just there, and it was growing.
"Peach...and her...damn emotions." Samus growled in her head
Even her thoughts seemed to be disconnected with the feeling of her soul being ripped out.
"If I feel one thing too strongly...something happens...sadness...a flood...happiness...flight...anger..."
An idea was coming to Samus, a foolhardy idea that had no real path to success. But it was the only thing she had at the moment and Samus was ready to take it.
"Alright Samus…" she told herself, trying to prep herself for what was coming, "Don't hold back, just let it go, all of it."
"What are you mumbling about?" the Shadow Queen asked, annoyed
"Get Away!"
A sudden burst of energy threw Shadow Queen thirty yards down field, smashing into the corrupted artificial turf. Dark blades of grass went into the air after her impact and for a few moments the shadow demon was dazed.
"So this is what it's like." Samus thought, her body brimming with unrestrained power
Samus' mind was clouding over with one, powerful emotion…anger. The woman barely had the state-of-mind to keep herself from losing all control; the feeling of rage was just that great! As she targeted her adversary she vaguely wondered just how Peach was able to handle the pull her emotions had on her. It was as if the dam burst and now a never-ending flood of power was flowing out of her, an untamed beast that had been lying dormant within the princess' body. The power scared Samus and yet it was like a drug and she was addicted to it. If Samus was a lesser woman in terms of discipline she was sure she would have been swept up in the energy coming from her.
"How dare you!" roared Shadow Queen, rising to her feet, "You will pay dearly for you defiance!" she bark
Samus had not made eye-contact with Shadow Queen yet, but her words didn't fall of deaf ears.
"Do you ever shut up?"
"You insolent little brat!" Shadow Queen barked, "I will cause you pain beyond you feeble comprehension!"
"Oh really, I would like to see that, Shadow Peach!" she yelled, glaring at her enemy
Against her will Shadow Queen took a step back from the glare she received from Samus. It was piercing, as if Samus was looking into her own dark soul.
"Y-you don't frighten me." The Shadow Queen told her, stuttering somewhat, "Besides, I have no need to fight you when I have puppets to do it for me." She said, snapping her fingers
On command Bowser, Young Link, Pikachu, Yoshi, and Mewtwo left Peach, having driven her into a wall, to go and do the bidding of their mistress. They quickly surrounded Samus, disregarding the flames that leaked from her body, ignoring the fact that the air was heavy with rampant energy.
"Understand? You haven't a chance." She said more confidently, "This is your final chance. Surrender now or face a painful defeat." She told Samus
"I choose neither."
"Fine then, show her no mercy."
All five charged her at once, coming at her from all sides. Samus dug her feet into the turf, clenching her fists tightly as they approached. Bowser slashed at her but she was able to move her head just enough to avoid the meat of the attack, though his claw racked her cheek slightly, drawing blood. Trying to use his weight to his advantage Bowser attempted to flatten Samus…that was until her elbow collided with his jaw. Swing his tail at her Mewtwo tried to smack Samus away but she put her arm up to block the blow. Not to be outdone Mewtwo wrapped his tail around her arm and pulled himself toward her, a paw glowing with shadow energy, though Samus' fist-to-face assault stopped that attack. A small ball of electricity was fired at Samus and on impact sent a few volts through her. This attack was courtesy of the electric mouse known as Pikachu. But when Pikachu tried to go in for a Skull Bash Samus' knee to Pikachu's chin movement hampered Pikachu's attempt. Young Link, with his sword swinging action, vertically slashed at Samus' but Samus sidestepped the attack. Ducking down and spinning on his heel Young Link fired a kick to her side, connecting but not causing as much damage as first thought. The ill-thought plan of attack resulted in Samus driving her heal into the side of his face. A green tail sliced through the air as it made its way toward Samus, but the blonde would not have any of that, putting both arms up to block the blow. Without budging an inch she held her ground as Yoshi pushed away after the failed attack. After a quick spin her foot came cascading toward the head of the dino-dragon.
WHAM!
POW!
KRACK!
BLAM!
SMACK!
Shadow Queen's eyes widen in shock as she watched her five puppets fall in a near simultaneous ring around Samus, their unmoving bodies a tell-tale sign of their defeat.
"She took them each down with one hit…how is that possible?" The Shadow Queen wondered, "What is this power that radiates from her body? I never felt power like that when I possessed Peach. When did that princess acquire such strength? Or was it always there? Was it this very strength that made it so hard for me to control the princess?"
Stepping over her fallen adversaries, Samus slowly made her way toward Shadow Queen, her movements weighed down by the amount of energy discharging from her body. The glare, the piercing glare of Peach's cerulean blue eyes into blood red of the Shadow Queen's, annoyed the Shadow Queen to no end. Such defiance Samus showed, walking toward the Shadow Queen in such a manner. She should have been bowing in her mere presence, but the insolent woman dared to confront her as if they were equals and they surely were not! Samus would pay dearly for this blasphemy if Shadow Queen had any say.
"I will drag you into the darkness." The Shadow Queen seethed, returning Samus' glare with equal passion
Samus flinched slight and came to a stop upon hearing that phrase. It was so…familiar. Thinking back to a particular night the answer came to her like a hammer to the back of the head.
"It was you." Samus snarled
"Hmm? What are you going on about fool?" The Shadow Queen demanded
"The nightmares…Ridley, it was you, you were that woman I saw in the blast! (Check the ending of the fourth chapter of Chronicles to get the reference)" she barked, "What were you doing in my head!?"
"Fuwhahahahahahahaha." She cackled, "So you've realized." She said, a grin forming on her face, "Yes, it was I. I invaded the land of dreams and plagued you with nightmarish fantasies. I hope I did a good job." She chortled
Samus knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists even tighter.
"Why?" was all Samus managed to get out, afraid of what he mouth might betray
"Simple…to break you." The Shadow Queen said, "A fighter can be hurt in mind, body, and heart. I targeted your heart, your confidence. I wanted to break your very reason for being. And I would have gotten away with it too had it not been for those meddling Smashers."
Someplace, somewhere, Scooby Doo and the gang sneezed.
"Well Shadow Peach, I'm gonna break you too." She said, "I'll just happen to target the body." Samus said, continuing her walk toward Shadow Queen
"Fry!" Shadow Queen shouted, her eyes glowing bright red
Black thunder cackled and shot from the sky, descending upon Samus with a single-minded fury that few had the privilege to witness. Samus' figure was completely obscured by the blast that blew turf into the air and cackled madly as if it were some crazed sentient being. However, as the corrupt electricity calmed down…
"What…how!?" she shrieked, gaping at the condition of her opponent
The blast had barely done anything to the occupant of Peach's body. In fact it only seemed to anger Samus further. There was barely a scratch on her and the rampant dark energy that still encased her was blown away as her own, emotion powers increased in their rage.
"Freeze!" The Shadow Queen rasped, letting the corrupt cold flow toward Samus
Samus' steps began to slow as the cold took hold, ice forming about her legs and traveling up her body until her entire being was encased in the black ice. But through it all Samus still retained her look of rage, rage that was directed solely toward Shadow Queen.
"That look of defiance is still there!" Shadow Queen growled, "But it doesn't matter now. I'll let her lose consciousness and take her body then."
As wisp of heat escaped the confines of Samus' icy prison, Shadow Queen raised a delicate eyebrow at this strange occurrence.
FAAAWWWOOOOSSSHHHH!
In a blaze of glory (pardon the pun) the dark ice that encased Samus was blown off in a brilliant display of heat and fire. Having evaporated the wicked ice to nothing more than vapor, Samus continued her march, without obstruction.
Shadow Queen refused the acknowledge that she could feel fear toward the advancing Smasher, letting her own rage take hold as her hands ignited with dark flames.
"Burn!" she roared, lighting Samus up in a dark inferno
The nefarious flames engulfed the blonde powerhouse, ripping at the field with such ferocity that it would be a miracle if Samus survived, let alone could continue fighting. But the concept of Samus dying hadn't dawned on the Shadow Queen because for the moment, she was more interested in having Samus feel unrivaled pain.
FUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Her laugh echoed across the stadium. It was such deep, malicious laughter that it was able to jar Peach from her stupor. Samus' suit, though still giving valid warnings about its condition, seemed to be out of the red for the time being, allowing Peach movement and visuals. She saw her possessed comrades, laid out on the ground as if they were asleep. She saw the bonfire of dark flames roar like a hungry beast in the middle of the field, its dark light illuminating the night sky. She saw the Shadow Queen in pure ecstasy over something, for her laughter was high and piercing. However, she didn't see her body…or more to the point, Samus.
"Please don't let Samus be in that insanity." Peach prayed, making her way toward Shadow Queen
Shadow Queen was so giddy with excitement she increased the intensity of the flames, letting them reach within inches before her. Then she noticed Peach.
"Ah, Peach, come to join your fellow Smasher?" Shadow Peach inquired, "If you do not surrender then I will be forced to annihilate you as I did her."
Peach gasped before a feeling of hate washed over her.
"Monster." She growled, holding up her arm cannon
"No, demon, the Demon of the Shadows." The Shadow Queen corrected, flames blazing in her hands
However, before Shadow Queen and Peach could go at it, they were interrupted by a not so dead third fighter.
"Huh?" muttered Shadow Queen, catching slight of a figure within the dark flames
A hand shot out from the flames, wrapping itself around Shadow Queens arm and holding tight.
"No…it's not possible!" she shrieked, realizing just what was emerging from the blaze, "You should be cinders now! You can't defy me!"
"I have a problem with authority." Samus replied, stepping from the flames, "Just go ask my employers."
"You don't have power over me!" she barked, "You are nothing!"
"Well then, if I'm nothing then this won't hurt a bit, will it?" Samus said, pulling back her arm and clenching her fist
The blaze around the blonde intensified to its max as she clenched her fist to the point of bleeding, but the switched Smasher ignored the pain in her right hand, focusing all her attention toward the dark copy of the body she was currently residing in.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shadow Queen gasped loudly as Samus' fist closed in on her face
POW!
Some say when you take a blow to the face you see stars. Others say you see a lot of flashes. And still others say that for a moment the world goes white. Shadow Queen experienced none of the above. One moment she was screaming as she saw a blazing fist fly toward her the next she was in the air, feeling strangely lightheaded. She never felt the impact, for reasons that escaped her but she knew she had been hit and from the distance she was traveling she had been hit hard!
"Whoa." Peach squeaked
Shadow Peach flew, much like a football and ironically enough passed through the goalpost downfield, the duffle bag slipping from her grip as she landed, bouncing once before coming to rest.
"Ha…ha…ha…ha…ha…ha…" Samus' breathing was deep and heavy, having over-exhorted herself
The nightgown she was wearing was in shambles, barely able to stay on her heaving frame. She was shaking furiously from her fatigue and her world was fading in and out.
"I hope that did it." She murmured before falling to her knees, "'Cause I'm done."
The immense power that had been pulsating from her being had subsided and now she was almost completely drained of energy, her head held low for she had no power to keep it up. Peach broke out of her stupor and ran toward Samus to try and aid her fallen comrade.
"Samus are you...?"
"Don't ask me if I'm okay 'cause it's obvious I'm not." Samus told her
"Sarcastic to the end, huh?" asked Peach
"Would you have it any other way?" She murmured
Peach couldn't help but smirk.
"Come on, let me help you up."
"Wait." Samus said, stopping her, "We're not done yet. Get those plushies before the others wake up or we're done for."
"Right."
Peach jogged over to the discarded duffle bag and scooped it up.
"Weird, wasn't this thing closed?" she inquired, but quickly dismissed it as the safety of her friends was more important, "You guys okay in there?" she asked
"The hell I am!" barked Bowser, "I'm in a freaking duffle bag, and I'm puny! I don't do puny!"
"He's fine." Replied Mewtwo calmly, "And so am I, though I do wish to return to my body now!" He barked
"Yoshi, yosh." Yoshi said, agreeing with the psychic cat
"Pika!" came the chirp of Pikachu
"Wait a second…where's Young Link?" Peach asked, failing to find him within the duffle bag."
"Looking…(cough)…for this." A venomous voice replied
Rising to her feet a batted Shadow Queen held in her gloved hand a small plushy that seemed in dire distress.
"Help!" the small plushy squeaked
Peach began to run toward Shadow Queen but when the demon of shadows squeezed the small plushy, resulting in Young Link crying out in pain, Peach stopped her advancement.
"Well then…heh…" Shadow Peach cackled, "We seem to have an understanding now."
The Shadow Queen's world was spinning and she was having trouble keeping herself steady, but she still wore a grin of confidence on her face for she still had control of at least one of the Smashers.
"I'll kill him if you don't surrender." She said, and to prove her point she squeezed Young Link again
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
"Why you…" Peach growled
"Not another step." The Shadow Queen said, "Now, bow to me."
Peach hesitated.
"BOW!" she barked, squeezing Young Link again and eliciting a piercing wail
With a defeated sigh Peach bent down to one knee and bowed her head in recognition to Shadow Queen, though it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do.
"Fuwhahahahahahaha!!" she cackled, walking over to Peach, "You're pathetic." She said, "One squeeze and you're on your knees." She scoffed, "Now for your soul."
Swoosh!
Something metallic spun through the air, nearly taking Shadow Queen's head off, though it did do a nice job of distracting her from her objective. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth Peach lunged for Shadow Queen before she could figure out what was going on. Peach pulled back her arm cannon, her fist clenching on the inside before she launched it forward in forceful, if not very accurate, punch. She had been aiming for the face, but her uncoordinated charge caused her punch to travel south, toward Shadow Queen's gut where it connected with a kidney.
Ka-pow!
"Gaaaaaaaaaa…" gasped Shadow Queen, a horrible pain shooting through her abdomen
Shadow Queen lost breath as the air was knocked out of her and on instinct her hands wrapped around her belly as she doubled over in pain. The Young Link plushy fell from her grip and Peach was quick to snatch it up and dash over to the duffle bag to safely place him inside.
"I'll…" Shadow Queen managed to rasp, "…kill…you…(cough)…"
Her hand went to her mouth on reflex as she was hit with a coughing fit. When it died down and she felt a strange dampness on her gloved hand she looked, and the image she saw brought terror to her eyes.
"Blo-blo-blood!" she shrieked, her mind reeling, "But this is impossible. I'm the Queen of Shadows, I don't bleed! Does this mean I've…lost my demonic powers? Is this why these fools have damaged me so throughly with only two blows…NO! I haven't lost yet!" she told herself, trying to rise to her feet "This is just a mere set back. I will make a retreat, for now, and when I return I'll crush them utterly."
Looking up at Peach, who was trying to calm her plushy friends down, Shadow Queen sneered at her, wishing all sorts of different and rather painful fates upon the switched Smasher, but knowing she didn't have the power, nor the advantage at the moment.
"Do not think this is over." She said, gaining Peach's attention, "Neither of you." She said, referring to Samus who at the moment was in a state of semi-consciousness, "You've only proved to stir my ire and when I return I will pay you back for this humiliation a thousand-fold!" she yelled, a dark pool forming below her, "I will drag you into the shadows." She said as the pool absorbed her, her final echoing words a shrilled laughter
FUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Shadow Queen's departure left Peach with a bad taste in her mouth. It was obvious that this wasn't the last time they'd see the deranged demon, but what really frightened Peach is that she didn't know what the Shadow Queen would pull next. The sky was the limit for a demon that had lived for over a thousand years. But right now wasn't the time to think about such things, she had to go see how badly Samus was hurt.
"Samus…Samus?" she called after running up to her, "How are you."
Samus didn't reply. Whether it was because she couldn't or didn't want to, was still a mystery. Meanwhile, high in the sky, a strange being was watching the Smashers with intrigue.
"Heh, heh, heh…they did better than I thought." The being thought, "They could have done a little better but I'll blame circumstances for now." The figure said, "I guess it would be best to return their souls to their bodies now."
Then with a snap of a finger an amazing event took place…though it appeared as if the only thing that happened was that the Smashers fell unconscious.
"Ugh…man, I feel like crap." Muttered a deep, gruff voice
Opening his eyes the barer of the voice noticed two things off the bat. One, he had a horrible headache for some reason, and two, he was no longer as soft as cotton. This could mean only one thing.
"I'm back baby!" he cheered, jumping up to his full, towering height, "The King of the Koopas, the Terrible Lizard of Mushroom Kingdom, the Unstoppable Powerhouse of…"
"We get it Bowser." Replied a much calmer voice, "Do us all a favor and keep quiet."
"Shove it feline." Barked Bowser, "I know you're happy as hell to be back in that scrawny body of yours."
"One, I am not scrawny, I simply don't believe in oversized muscular strength to win my battles and two, I am quite happy to have been returned to my body."
"Pika!" squealed Pikachu, firing a bolt of electricity high in the air; just for the rush it gave him, a rush he had been without for a while
"Yoshi." Yoshi nodded
"Hey…where's Samus and Peach?" Asked Young Link
"Over here." A voice said
The Smashers turned to the voice and observed the sight before them. There stood the two blondes, though the Smashers couldn't tell if they were back where they belonged or not, but it was apparent that Peach's body looked as if it had been through hell and back while the body of Samus' seemed a lot better off. Peach's body was slumped over the shoulder of Samus' body who was easily supporting the former's weight.
"Hey, are ya'll back to normal or not?" Bowser asked
Lifting off the Varia Suit helmet a blue-eyed blonde acknowledged the spiked Koopa.
"What do you think, turtle-breath?" replied the voice of the blonde bounty hunter
"She's back…" he groaned, "And that's tortoise-breath!"
"Never mind that, help me with Peach, she's out of it." Samus replied, walking over to the group
"What happened to her?" Young Link asked
"It's my fault." Samus replied, "I pushed her body a tad farther than it can handle. I just hope I didn't cause any irreversible damage to her."
"A moment please." Mewtwo replied, waving his hand in front of the two
Moments later, the wounds that adorned Peach were healed as if they were never there in the first place.
"The damage was not as atrocious as it may have appeared." Mewtwo replied, "She simple took more damage than her body is accustomed too. A some rest and she should be fine."
"Good." Replied Samus, looking about the worn torn stadium, hoping that there was nothing left that would need her attention "Let's get out of here." She proclaimed
"Would it really be wise to simply leave without investigation?" Mewtwo inquired, "Though Shadow Peach may be defeated for the moment, questions still remain. How exactly were we returned to our bodies? I do not believe that it was through the defeat of Shadow Peach, though that is a possibility. However, it not, was there someone watching the chaos from above. Are they friend or foe. Were they manipulating the events to their liking?"
These questions rang true and forced the Smashers into deep thought, all except for one who didn't care at the moment.
"So what?" replied Samus, "Who cares?"
"Hmm?" murmured Mewtwo
Samus was the last person Mewtwo would expect to denounce the situation so quickly. He more so thought that Bowser would probably take off without giving much thought on the matter, but Samus?
"Look. These are all fine things to think over, but for right now I don't care. I'm tired, Peach is done, and I don't think that anyone here really wants to investigate just what happened. Let's count ourselves lucky and figure this mess out some other day."
If Mewtwo had eyebrows he would have raised them, so instead he gave the armor-clad Smasher an odd look.
"Very well." he replied
Though he may have wanted to discover the reason behind the return to their bodies, Mewtwo couldn't argue with the fact that he was tired and wished to rest. Putting the pieces together could wait to another day.
As the trials of the last night disappeared with the darkness, the next day for the Smashers was bright and sunny and they decided to spend that day outside in the bright light and cool breeze of the day. With an entire field to do with as you pleased the Smashers didn't even need to leave the Smash Brother property to enjoy the day. At the moment they were hanging around the Smash Fountain (oh, what an ingenious name!) located in the middle of Smash Park, watching the captivating display of water shooting from the fountain.
"Ah! What a beautiful day!" squealed the ever joyous voice of Princess Peach
"Yippee." Muttered Samus Aran, her reply lacking the same enthusiasm as Peach
"Oh Samus." Peach groaned, "Why do you have to be such a downer? I bet the others agree with me, right?" Peach asked
"This day is just like any other day that is sunny." Mewtwo replied, "No need to get overly excited over it."
Peach glared at the floating cat, her hand caressing the handle of her golf club hidden beneath her dress. However, instead of unleashing her fury on the meditating feline she decided to direct her question to Smashers that would more likely share her view.
"Well, Pikachu agrees with me? It's this a day to simply die for?"
Pikachu didn't reply. However it was not because he was being rude or didn't agree with Peach. It was because he was asleep.
"Pi…pi…pi…pi…" he murmured in his sleep
"Strike two." Muttered Samus, a small smirk making its way on her face
This time the delicate fingers of Peach were gripping her frying pan, but she kept her anger in check and yet again directed her attention to another Smasher, this time Young Link. He wasn't asleep and she was sure he'd agree with her.
"What do you think Young Link?" she asked her enthusiasm slipping, "And choose you answer very carefully."
"And there's the threat." Murmured Samus, "Some princess."
Peach ignored her and gave Young Link the sweetest of smiles. But like all sweets this smile had the potential for cavities, or in Young Link's case, lost teeth.
"Well…" he began, not sure how to answer this question
In his honest opinion he though the day was okay. Nothing to get excited about, but still a good day. But if he said that he was sure he'd be cracked upside the head with one of Peach's hidden weapons. It was not so much that Peach wanted her way it was just that she didn't want Samus to have one up on her and Young Link was her crutch, and he knew it.
"What do I do?" he wondered, until he suddenly came up with a brilliant solution, "Peach, I think this day is a good as you make it." He replied, "I could never imagine how to make this day better than how you can." He told her
Peach thought about that for a moment and then smiled.
"You're right Young Link." She told him, "It doesn't matter what Samus thinks. If I think this day is great then this day is great!" she cheered
Young Link breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took a seat besides Bowser, hoping to use the Koopa King as a barrier incase any other questions were thrown in his general direction.
"You're right Peach." Replied Samus, "It doesn't matter what you think. If I think you're a couple I.Q. points lower than standard, then you are a couple of I.Q. points lower than standard."
"Hey!" yelled Peach, her anger taking hold
However, instead of going off the handle Peach decided to fight fire with fire, or in this contest, fight sarcastic comment with sarcastic comment.
"Samus...you know, I was wondering if I should invite you to the public baths in the city, but the baths aren't co-ed." Peach replied
It took the others a moment to figure out what Peach meant. When they did the looks on their faces, especially Samus' face brought Peach unparralled joy.
"Oh...zing." murmured Bowser
"This won't be good." Young Link muttered
"Ugh...humans." muttered Mewtwo
"Yoshi." muttered Yoshi
Pikachu snored on, oblivious to the bomb that was about to go off.
"Peach..." growled Samus, but the princess didn't give the bounty hunter the opportunity to counter
"But seriously, it's not my fault that some people mistaken your gender. I mean, can yo blame then?" she asked, "At best you're a tomboy...emphasis on boy."
"Well it's better than being some ditzy airhead!" Samus barked, losing her cool
"Hey, I'm not ditzy or an airhead!" Peach shot back
"Could have fool me."
"Well why don't I prove it?" Peach growled, glaring at Samus
"Go right ahead." Samus retorted, equalling Peach in glaring
"Should we stop them?" Young Link asked, watching as the two blondes glared at one another
"I'm not getting in between that." replied Bowser, "I may be the strongest one here, but I'm not stupid."
"Do not worry so much about it. The two are not truly angry with one another." Mewtwo said, "There is something deeper to this squabbling, even if it is pointless."
Young Link raised an eyebrow to this, confused at Mewtwo's response, but intrigued with what he was getting at. Maybe he'd stay around and see what went down. But he still thought that girls were the weirdest.
And there we go. The end of Switched. Hope you like. And get ready for the next batch of Chronicles.