This is the seventh chapter of Chronicles, and the first chapter of its newest story, "Influence".
Many people that lived in Smash Central thought that all the Smashers did was spend their time coming up with new ways to cause trouble. Those people were unquestionably correct. Though every once in a while the Smashers trained with one another to try and come up with new moves to use on one another. Not really competitive, given the nature of their sport, but the Smashers never really cared for logic (and at times, psychics).
As of right now, two Smashers in particular were training in Smash Park, the large field that surrounded the mansion. Zelda, the esteemed princess of Hyrule was helping Nana, the hammer-wielding mountain climber of the frozen wastelands out with a move she had been working on
"Ready Nana?" asked the princess
The small Inuit child nodded her head vigorously, assuring Zelda of her preparedness.
"Okay then…" Zelda replied, "Let's see what you can do." She said, her hands beginning to glow
"Right." Nana chirped, taking a huge breath, "Weather Cast: Great White Squall!" she roared in her head before breathing out, releasing an immense wave of cold air that literally froze everything in its path
Zelda however looked unperturbed by the advancing airstream, letting the attack completely envelope her when it finally reached her.
"Yes!" Cheered Nana as the last of her squall left her throat, "I think I got her!" she squealed
"Don't get too excited Nana." Replied a voice from within the storm
After the wind had died down it was revealed that Zelda stood unharmed and the immediate area around her was unfrozen, showing by some ingenuity of some sorts that she had deflected the attack.
"What!?" gasped Nana, stunned at her attack's ineffectiveness, "How'd you do that?" she asked
"Simple." Replied Zelda, going into explanation, "Though powerful, that attack is far too slow given its name and it's much too wasteful. The attack lost much of its power before it even reached me" she clarified, sweeping her hand in front of her to show Nana the effectiveness of her move
As Zelda had pointed out, the most devastation caused by the attack was focused around Nana, the thick ice becoming thinner as it lead to Zelda.
"Oh…" Nana murmured, feeling downcast
"Don't feel down Nana." Zelda told her, walking over to the child
As Zelda approached her feet began to glow and the glowing caused the frozen terrain to melt, the frozen plant life springing back to life almost instantly.
"You've just got to work on it some more." Zelda replied, "No skill or ability is mastered immediately." She said, "If that was the case there'd be no point in even training. If you continue to work on it then you'll turn that attack into something dangerous in no time." She assured her
Though still feeling somewhat down about her attack's ineptness, a smile still formed on the face of the hooded girl at the kind words of Zelda.
"You're right." Replied Nana, "I'll work on it. And then, nobody will be able to stop me! I'll be invincible!"
"Yeah…" Zelda said, slightly frightened by her words, "By the way, it looks as if you've grown since the last time I saw you." She replied
After the last tournament the Smashers hadn't been around the mansion as often as they usually were, so after a few months Zelda was surprised that Nana had grown so much.
"You're almost as tall as Ness." She mentioned,
"Heh…" Nana giggled, "Brother's taller though." She replied
"Speaking of which, where is your brother?" Zelda asked
It was a perplexing thing indeed for the princess. Since the day she met the twin mountain-climbers she had almost never seen them apart, albeit the most private of times. Seeing just Nana here, without her brother, was a strange occurrence indeed.
"Yeah, where is your bro?" asked Ness, having returned from his jaunt with Kirby and Jigglypuff
The trio had gone to a restaurant to get something to eat. To many this would be a harmless outing, but to the Smashers this was open to debate.
"Hey guys, you're back." Zelda proclaimed, "Did you enjoy lunch?"
"We would have had it not been for Kirby." Ness replied
"I said I was sorry." Replied the pink puffball
"What happened?" Zelda asked stoically
"We got kicked out." Ness told her
Zelda sighed, pretty much determining the reason why but feeling obligated to ask anyway.
"How?"
"Those people said I could eat until I can't anymore." Kirby quipped, "Not my fault they ran out of food."
"It's an "All-You-Can-Eat buffet, not an "Eat-It-All buffet." Ness challenged
"What's the difference?"
"They don't expect you to have a bottomless pit of a belly."
Kirby snorted, which was an amazing feet for the likes of him since he had no nose to speak of.
"Well, I guess we can list that restaurant under the, "Smashers can never come here" list."
Currently there were 22 restaurants listed. And that wasn't even including small fast-food restaurant or food stands.
"That okay." Replied Jigglypuff, comforting the Star Warrior, "Jigglypuff blow place up later." She told him
"You will not!" barked Zelda, "Remember what happened the last time!?"
Jigglypuff seemed to be in thought and eventually answered Zelda's accusation.
"No."
"Well I do." Muttered Zelda, not wanting to relive that taxing day, "No revenge plans." She directed, "And that goes for you too Ness and Kirby." She said scolded
"But…"
"No."
"Jiggly…" muttered Jigglypuff in defeated
"Now then…where was I?" Zelda pondered
"Asking about Nana's brother and advancing the plot of the story." Kirby replied
"Yeah…wait, what?"
"Nothing."
"Er…anyway, where is Popo?" Zelda asked, thus advancing the plot of the story
"He's at the village."
"Village?" Zelda, Jigglypuff, Kirby, and Ness questioned
"Yeah, Hiehie Village." She replied, "Or Chilly Village."
"I thought ya'll live by yourselves." Ness asked
"We do, but we go to the village every now and again to get supplies and talk to the elders." She replied
"So is that what Popo's doing?" Zelda asked
"Yeah." Nana replied, "He's in discussion with them right now."
"And why aren't you there with him?" Kirby asked
"I'm not sure, but the elders said this was a private matter and only Popo could go."
"So private that they wouldn't even allow his own sister to participate?" Zelda mused, "Just what could this all be about?"
Nana shrugged.
"I don't know, but I'm about to head back now cause the elders said to wait two days." She informed, "I waited at home but it was so lonely without Popo so I decided to come to the mansion."
"Can Jigglypuff come?" Jigglypuff asked
Discovering that the Ice Climbers didn't live in some vast wasteland of ice intrigued the small pudding pokemon and now she had to see what was up.
"Well…I guess." Nana said, a little unsure, "I mean, we've never actually brought outsiders to the village before, but the people there are nice so it probably won't be a big deal." She replied
"If that's the case I'm coming too!" Ness announced, the prospect of meeting more people like the Ice Climbers too good to pass up
"I want to come!" Kirby thought, wondering what food they had at their village
"Okay…" Nana replied, smiling sheepishly, wondering if it would really be okay to bring them
"I can not let you three go unsupervised." Zelda said, eyeing all three, "I shall accompany you and make sure you all stay out of trouble."
"Who says we're going to get into trouble?" Ness asked, "We're responsible."
"That is dependant on who you're asking." They heard a voice say
Turning, the four saw Marth making his way toward them with DK and Falco at his sides. Ness stuck his tongue out at him. Marth simply chuckled slightly and walked over to Zelda, taking her hand to his, bending down and kissing it as gentlemanly as possible. There was nothing romantic about the gesture or nothing that could insinuate that conclusion; that is just how Marth greeted all women. Young, old, big, small, it didn't matter. Marth's upbringing taught him to be very respectable to the opposite sex.
"My Lady." He said as he rose
"Marth, DK, Falco." She replied, "How's it going?"
DK grunted happily.
"Hn." Muttered Falco, his usual greeting
"Come on Zelda, we'll be fine." Whined Ness, "I mean, what could happen."
"Is that a trick question?" she asked mockingly, "I am coming, no excuses."
"Fine." Muttered Ness
"I will accompany you as well, it would only be my duty to accompany a princess to an unknown region." Marth replied
Jigglypuff, Kirby, and Ness groaned outwardly.
"Me too." Grunted DK, thoroughly interested in the snowy region that Nana and Popo called home
"What about you Falco. Will you be accompanying us as well?" Zelda asked
"Hn…" muttered Falco, "I guess. Better than laying around here."
"Great!" Zelda cheered happily, "Expanding one's knowledge of other places is the key to gaining experience and wisdom." She replied, "But since we are going to a place that is rather cold I do believe that we should dress the part." She said, and with that she waved her hand across the whole group
In moments the original clothes of the Smashers morphed to more winter-appropriate attire. For Zelda, a large cloak appeared on her, covering her entire body in a heavy material designed to retain warmth while he normal shoes became boot-like.
Before Ness knew what hit him, his normal shirt and shorts became a hooded jacket and heavy pants. His once red and white sneakers becoming red and white snow boots.
The normal armor that adorned Marth's features became padded for added warmth, and a pair of blue earmuffs and gloves, completing the change of clothes.
Without much change to his features, the only thing about Falco's winter wear was that was more padded than his original attire, with longer sleeves for his jacket.
For the puffballs of the group, small hats now became features for them. A large stocking cap now made residence on Kirby's head, not unlike the cap he donned in Sleep Kirby mode. So big in fact that if Kirby wanted to he could actually hide in the hat. Meanwhile, Jigglypuff was granted a green ear-warmer that fitted around her head snuggly, granting her warmth but not taking away from the mobility of the balloon pokemon.
Last, but by no means least, the primate of the jungles got a clothes change as well (even if it wasn't really needed, hell, he has fur for heavens sake!). DK's tie morphed into a scarf with the prominent "DK" still tattooed upon it, serving as his obvious identification.
"Is everyone ready?" she asked
A chorus of the word 'yes' was given, though one 'no' was heard among the group, directing Zelda's attention to Nana.
"Help." Nana murmured
It would have seemed that Zelda's magical influence had reached the pink Ice Climber as well, adding to the already padded parka that the young girl wore, making her look as if she were hiding a few hundred pounds underneath her normal attire, making it impossible for Nana to move.
"Whoops…" Zelda gasped, shocked at her ineptness, "I suppose I let a little too much magic go." She replied
Nesh, the home of the Ice Climbers. Though usually a bitter cold region, this time of year the land of Nesh was surprisingly warm. The need for proper attire was still a must, but the risk of freezing your tail off was not an immediately threat. It was simply a little cool so the Smashers were thankful that Zelda thought ahead and granted them winter clothing.
"It's pretty cold out here." Ness stated, a statement that granted him a disgruntled grunt from Falco
"Well of course it is." Muttered Falco, "Hell, why do you think we're wearing these things?" He said
"Falco, be nice. It was only an observation." Zelda replied
"A 'duh' observation." He muttered
"Falco…"
"Hn…"
While Zelda and Falco had their little spat, Marth and DK watched in unbridled amusement over Jigglypuff and the way she fawned over Kirby, who was trying his best to keep the overzealous puffball away without being too mean about it.
"Jigglypuff…could ya let go of my arm…I'm losing feeling." He replied flatly
"But so cold." Jigglypuff replied, "Jigglypuff staying warm with Kirby." She told him
"Hmm…" Kirby thought, coming up with an idea moments later
Kirby opened his mouth and began to inhale. The moment the Smashers figured this out they jumped for cover, even Jigglypuff. Kirby was not one to be around when he was hungry, which was almost every waking moment of his existence. Snow made its way into the gullet of the blob and a bright light kicked up for a few moments. When the light died down Kirby was revealed to have undergone a transformation. Now sporting a hat that seemed to have ice shards protruding from the top Kirby was now the very thing that surrounded him, Ice Kirby.
"Ohh!" squealed Jigglypuff; in awe of the way his hat reflected the bright sunlight, a multihued of different colors bouncing along the near flawless design of the ice shards
She lounged at him, ready to latch on like a parasite and never let go, but the moment she did a fierce coldness ran through her body.
"Heh." Chuckled Kirby, though not loud enough for Jigglypuff to hear
Try as she might she just couldn't stay attached to him. He was just too cold…literally. His body temp had plummeted in his Ice Kirby form, making it nigh impossible to stay near him for too long.
"Jiggly!" cried Jigglypuff, jumping toward DK in a desperate bid to take warm
Landing on the back of the large primate Jigglypuff felt an immediate, and welcome change in temp, DK's body being surprisingly warm.
"Purin…" she purred, reverting to her secondary pokemon language
"Now Kirby, that wasn't very nice." Zelda told him, her voice leaning toward a scolding manner
Kirby simply shrugged, which again was an amazing feet for him since he had no shoulders to speak off. Zelda simply sighed.
"So Nana, how exactly are we gonna get to your village?" Ness asked, "'Cause we've been walking for a while and I was just wondering if we were gonna keep walking?" he asked
"We're taking the train." She replied
This response granted her a few stares.
"What…haven't any of you been on a train?" she asked
"Uh…yeah…it's just…" Ness trailed off
He never knew that Nana had trains where she came from. Frankly he didn't know much about Nana or her brother simply for the reason that the topic never came up. It was odd after all this time they had been Smashers had this never come up, but now it had and Ness had to approach this question carefully or risk Nana thinking that he thought she was some primitive tribesperson. Unfortunately for him, Falco wasn't quite as subtle as Ness could be at times.
"Didn't think ya'll were that technologically advanced." He replied and Ness nearly tripped on his own two feet, "Seriously, would it have killed ya to mention this before we came?"
"Sorry, it never came up." She said, "But yeah, we're taking the train, and boy, is this train big!" she said happily
Nana wasn't kidding when she said that the train was big. The Smashers had found the train station not too far off from where they began their trek and it was large to say the least and filled with multiple different species of artic creatures. From penguins in vests and top hats to polar bears wearing sunglasses and Bermuda shorts and even seals with large clubs, the train station was a bustling train stop. But that wasn't even half as exciting as when the train arrived. Though not a highly advanced train like what many of the Smashers were expecting or such, this train was rather impressive to say the least. Wider than most, the tracks were spread wide along their path. This meant that the train was much more stable at straight-forward high speeds, but it also meant that it would probably wouldn't be good at high speed turns, given the weight distribution. Luckily, there weren't many turns between here and Nana's village. So the train was not only big but it was also fast!
"Wow." Was all Ness could say at the sight
"All aboard!" yelled the stagecoach, a large walrus with huge tusks
The patrons scrambled aboard, nearly toppling the Smashers over as they pushed their way in. Luckily, the inside of the train was spacious, the passengers quickly spreading out and giving the Smashers room to breath.
"Does that always happen?" Marth asked Nana
"You should see when it's busy." She replied
"Don't we need tickets to ride a train?" Ness asked
"Not really, but you do need a ticket to get a seat on this train. They fill up fast." Nana replied
"Oh…" murmured Ness, "We got no tickets so we got no seats." He said
"Not necessarily." Replied Nana, walking down toward the end of the train car, "Hello?" she called up to a reindeer
"Hmm…what do you wa…" he began, before he recognized who he was speaking to, "Why Lady Nana, is that you!?" he gasped in surprised, "It is you!"
"Hello Griff." She replied, "How are you?"
"Fine, fine, but I should be the one asking how you are? I haven't seen you in quite some time."
"I'm fine." She replied
"What are you doing here on the train today Lady Nana?" he asked
"I'm bringing my friends to the village and I was hoping we could get some seats." She asked
"Why of course, of course, anything for Lady Nana!" he proclaimed, "Please, walk this way." Griff said, taking long strides out of the train car and into the next
As Nana followed the others simply shrugged their shoulders and follow; Ness, Jigglypuff, and Kirby mimicking Griff near exactly. The group was lead down three cars before finally coming to a near empty one. It was a relief to be rid of the constant noise and confusion from the other cars; the only patrons of this particular car being what seemed to be an old snow wolf couple.
"Wow…" Jigglypuff, Ness, and Kirby gasped, looking about the sight before them
Other than being relatively quiet and empty, the seats of the car looked rather comfortable, with a gorgeous view of the passing scenery outside. There also seemed to be a small buffet on one side, something that Kirby took full interest in.
"Fooooooooooooooooood!"
Not even the dogs of hell could have kept Kirby away from that table.
"I say Bridget, is that Lady Nana?" asked the male of the couple
"I do believe so Robert." The female replied, "Lady Nana, do you remember us?" she asked
Nana seemed to be in thought but couldn't come up with an answer.
"Probably not my dear, she was only a young-in when we first met." Robert replied, "Why, we were there the day you were born my Lady."
"Hold up!" Falco barked, "What's with all this 'My Lady' and 'Lady Nana' business!" he demanded
"Hmm…you don't know my avian friend?" asked Robert, "Well to put it simply Nana and her brother are the heirs to Hiehie Village." He replied
"Heirs!?" everyone exclaimed, casting a perplexed glare toward Nana
"Ha ha…" Nana chuckled sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood a little, "Sorry…it never came up." She replied
"I see…" mumbled Marth, before a slight smirk crossed his face, "Well let me apologize my Lady." He said, before taking the young girl's hand and kissing it properly, "I hope this makes up for the times of my rude behavior for not addressing you so."
"That's okay." She replied, "I never really liked the title. I'm still plain old Nana." She told him
"Very well."
"Okay, so what exactly do you mean she's the heir to her village?" asked Ness, "What's this mean?"
"Well…" Nana mumbled, looking toward the floor, "The thing is that…" she trailed off
"Would it be okay if I told the story of your birth?" asked Robert
Nana nodded and sat down. This would take a while.
"Gather round young ones and listen well to this story." Robert replied, "I suppose it would be proper to begin this story with Lady Nana's parents." He said, "It all began one day…"
"Wait, wait!" Ness cried out, before Robert could begin
"What is it young one?" he asked
"Well, if we're going into a flashback let me get prepared for the waviness."
"My flashbacks are more of a fade-in, fade-out sort of thing." Robert told him
"Oh."
"Now then, where was I…?"
One day…
In Hiehie Village there was a man, of strong build and character. Years of climbing, and years of experience had molded this man into what one would say the highest of men. However he was not happy for he lacked what all men aim for in life; the love of another beyond all else.
"In other words, he wanted a wife."
Damn it Bridget! I am telling this story!
"Sorry dear, it just seemed like a good time to summarize." She chuckled, "I forgot how much you hate being interrupted when you're telling a story. Continue."
Thank you dear. Ahem. As I was saying, the man, whose name held such dignity that few spoke it without feeling a well of awe, was in search of something.
"Dear, it was Douglass." She replied, "No need to over exempilfy the man."
Bridget!
"Sorry."
AHEM! The man...ere...Douglass…he felt as if his life was half-full, the want for a life-long companion eating away at his heart. Though he knew that such selfish desires should be abolish, as a man he could not help what he yearned for the finer things in life. So he set out from his village to find himself a wife. His search was a strange journey though. Women from many villages embraced him, wanting him to take them as his own, yet not one of them satisfied him. Not that the man was picky mind you (though he did have his option on a few), it was simply that he could not find love among any of them, only the want to be with such a distinguished climber.
"Yum…" murmured Kirby in ecstasy as he ate, with no end in sight
"Dear me." Bridget gasped, "Does that young thing eat like that all the time?" she asked
"You have no idea." Falco muttered
As such, his search seemed endless and fruitless. The young climber felt as if the heavens were teaching him a lesson by not letting him find love. He felt horrible for his self-interest and would have given up his hunt for a wife that very day had it not been for an unexpected occurrence while he took shelter in an inn. While coming for dinner he was served by his definition a snow goddess, though in all honesty it was simply the daughter of the inn keeper. She was but a plain woman, enjoying life as it was. Her dreams were to live a life that revolved around helping her father at the inn; marriage never entered her mind so it was quite a surprise when Douglass asked her for her hand in it.
"Aww…" Zelda cooed
"Bleh…" gagged Ness
However, she declined, saying that she was but the simple daughter of a simple inn keeper and that there were plenty of far more prettier women he could choose. Yet, he stuck by his decision and asked again. Her father, more than ready to give his daughter away to a good man tried to persuade her that marrying Douglass would be a good idea, but she declined again. Determined to prove his love to her, Douglass proclaimed that he would climb the tallest mountain of the region and retrieve the fable Altude, a flower that could survive high altitudes. Such a prize would prove that his love could not be swayed, much like the flower itself. The woman, though not in love, could not help but feel concern for the man, begging him not to climb such a dangerous mountain. No man had returned from its rocky sides alive. Even Topies feared its dangerous slopes. But there was no fear in this man's heart. The very next day he went to climb the mountain to claim the flower and thus claim the heart of the beautiful woman.
"Seems like a lot work just for some girl." Falco commented
"Any man would be willing to go to any lengths for the one he loves." Replied Marth
"Still, it's pretty bothersome if you ask me."
"Falco, Falco. It would seem you have a lot to learn about the feminine species." Marth told him
"Don't give me that crap!" He barked, "I know enough about girls to know that trying to impress them is impossible."
May I finish!?
"Oh…go ahead." Replied Falco
With strong vigor Douglass began to climb the treacherous mountain, his skills as a climber aiding him in his perilous journey. For a time the climb was rather effortless, and the man felt as if the rumors of how dangerous this mountain was were only speculation. However, a sudden storm had hit the mountain and before the climber realized what was going one he was lost. The cold, the darkness, the emptiness, all coming at him at once; his rigid fortitude was no match for such abysmal circumstances.
"What a horrible fate to befall such a man." Bridget murmured
"Did man die?" Jigglypuff asked
"If he did then Nana wouldn't be sitting here now would she?" Falco quipped
"Oh…"
Climbing a rather precarious ledge the Douglass fell, presumably to his doom. With nothing to grab hold of and no way to slow his descent, the man fell helplessly down the mountain. As he fell the prominent images of his life flashed before him. His life before becoming a climber, the first mountain he ever successfully climb, the one's he loved more than anything, his enemies, everything, and finally, the love of his life.
"I've screwed up. I am not the climber I thought I was." He told himself, "I am not the man I thought I was."
Seeing as death was inescapable he simple let go, ready to accept death and all that it was to bring him. Fortunately for the wayward man was saved by the very thing he longed for.
"Oh honey, can I tell the next part, please?" Bridget pleaded, giving her husband puppy dog eyes, which wasn't entirely hard since she was a wolf
I suppose. Let me just get out of narrator mode.
Seconds later he was back to normal speech.
"Wow, I never realized just how hard it was to be in narrator mood. Italics are hard to keep up with." He said
"Yes dear, that is why I'll speak in bold."
"Think you can handle it?"
"No problem." She said, "Now then, let's begin."
With speed and finesse of only the finest of climbers a figure appeared and rescued the man from certain demise. Cold and fatigue stopped Douglass from seeing just who it was that saved his life, but as he recalls it was something of an angel descending upon him to save his life.
"Beautiful…" he murmured before consciousness left him
When he awoke he found himself in familiar settings. In a soft bed in the inn from earlier, Douglass was recovering, with the tentative daughter of the inn keeper watching over him.
"You're awake!" she gasped in relief, nearly smothering him in a hug
"What…happened?" he asked her, "I remember falling and then being saved by an angel." He replied
"You…I found you some time after you made you ascent." She told him, "You were haggard and freezing and I carried you back to the inn. I suppose this 'angel' helped you survive your fall."
"Oh…"
"You should rest." The daughter replied, "You have narrowly escaped a visit with death and you are still at risk of getting very sick."
"Oh…but before I sleep, please, tell me your name?" he asked, "For when I awake I may never see you again."
"It is…Samantha." She replied
Three days went by before Douglass fully recovered and during that time he and Samantha spent every waking moment together. He apologized for his rash proclamation to sweep her off her feet but she thought none of it, thinking it was rather cute that a man would fall so head over heels for her. Though he relinquished his brash exclamation, he would not take back what he felt for Samantha, saying that his words were true.
"I cannot be that beautiful." She told him
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and as that beholder I see unparalleled beauty in you." He replied
"What a beautiful line." Zelda murmured
"I know…but the one my husband told me the day he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me was even more beautiful." Bridget said
"Well I will admit took me some time to come up with it."
"And I'm glad you did." She said, snuggling up against her husband
As the two growled in bliss, Ness, Falco, and DK gagged while Zelda and Jigglypuff sighed heavenly. Kirby continued to stuff his face with Marth standing over him, sighing in disdain. Nana was simply staring out of the window absentmindedly. That was until she noticed something.
"Hmm?"
Looking out to the passing scenery the female of the Ice Climber duo noticed something odd. Coming along side the train there seemed to be a smaller, secondary train, which struck Nana as odd since she knew there was only one set of tracks. Upon closer inspection she discover that this much smaller train seemed to be moving without a track, more so a long truck as opposed to a train. Then she noticed something else, a few parka clad men climbing on top of the truck, bearing spear weapons and other such modified tools.
"Guys?" she called, gaining everyone's attention, "I think we have a problem." She said, taking hold of her hammer
Note: Nesh is an English dialect adjective meaning unusually susceptible to cold weather and there is no synonym for this use. And yes, though Nana didn't say much she is rather comfortable about speaking about her past.