Chapter Text
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Chapter 1: Entering the Cycle.
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'Let it begin. Bring your eyes close, your ears close, boys and girls! For the most wonderful show on earth, it is beginning again! And this time, better than ever. Old faces return, but new ones join their ranks. You could say, in fact, that everyone's here! So, put your hands together, and let the 6th cycle… The ultimate cycle… Begin!'
(Ness)
Steak... Fresh steak, all red and juicy. Cooked on the grill, sizzling hot, tender, yey chewy at the same time… Delicious, perfect! Sizzling away, a wonderful dinner, with peas and chips and carrots, and all sorts of delicious things, but, no, it's slipping away… why is it going away? No, steaky - come back, please, come back! I need you! I desperately open my mouth...
...And my tongue licks the carpet.
Grimacing, I pull myself up, shaking the dream from my head. Dreaming of food again; of course. Tracy's going to laugh at me so much - eurgh, that carpet really is disgusting - and serve me right, for sleeping on the floor, as well.
Wait. Why exactly am I sleeping on the floor?
Momentarily confused, I push myself up, feeling the rough carpet beneath my flat hands. Did I fall out of bed again? Or is this a prank of some sorts? Of course - Jeff's sleeping over, he'll have done a Thing, of course he will. I laugh to myself quietly, before looking around the room, realising that I don't recognise it, at all.
Oh dear.
Alright, well, there's probably a rational explanation. There always is. The room's got two single beds, one either side of the room, a birch wardrobe, a rug, a couple of chairs, a door - and importantly, a window, through which bright sunlight streaks in.
I walk over. Perhaps I can find out exactly where I am? But outside, there's just nothing. Pure white. I look down. There's no floor.
Okay, that's weird.
Alright then, I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. Or I'm dead! What if I'm dead? Perhaps I suffocated in a blanket, and I've ended up in heaven? That thought's more worrying - hastily, I pat my pockets - I note quickly that I'm wearing my day clothes, for some reason - and I draw out… a device.
A mobile phone.
Okay. Right. Switching it on brings me to a Home Screen. I scroll quickly through, opening up the contacts section. But to my dismay, there is only a list of names I do not recognise. Ganondorf? Palutena?
Worriedly, I turn the phone off again, and it's only then that I notice that I'm not alone.
There in one of the beds, tucked up in the covers, is a boy.
He looks about my age, at a guess. There's a big sweep of blonde hair upon his head, there's pale skin, a small nose like mine, a small mouth - in fact, he looks remarkably similar to me. Is this Magicant again, or something? I wonder to myself, whether I should wake the boy up, but that question is quickly answered, when he opens an eye.
He mumbles to himself, as he rolls over. Something about omelettes. Good - I like omelettes. Perhaps we'll get on well. Then again, I might be intruding in his bedroom. That might not be the best introduction.
But suddenly, the boy tumbles to the floor, accidentally reaching the edge of the bed. There's a muffled noise as he's caught up in the covers - before he quickly emerges, and, noticing me, he gives a shout of alarm.
I back away quickly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you-"
He looks rapidly around, pulling himself to his feet. He speaks, sounding terrified. "Wh-Where am I? What is this?!"
"I don't know - I just woke up here too!"
The boy rushes to the window, and, seeing the same as I, he looks back over at me, in horror.
"There's nothing out there - I - I was at home, where's my home?"
"I don't kno-"
"Who are you?!"
"Ness - I'm Ness-" I try to explain, frantically, as the blonde backs away, a frightened look in his eyes. "I don't understand either - I was at home too -"
"Where are you from?!"
"Onett - are you from there?"
"No!" And in an instant, he scurries back into his bed.
Concerned, I approach the boy. It's in my nature to help those in distress - and he is most certainly in distress.
"Hey, it's okay. We'll figure it out, and get ourselves home, yeah?"
He quakes under the covers.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Lucas."
"Alright. There's a door - it probably leads somewhere. Do you want to come explore?"
There's a moment of silence. But after a bit, he gives a sort of shaky nod. Extending my hand, he takes it, and I pull him to his feet.
"Sorry," he mumbles, almost childishly. "I'm - I wasn't expecting…"
"It's okay," I assure him, with a pat on the back. He winces. I make note not to do that again. "I'll forget about it."
He gives me a small smile. "Thanks."
Opening the door is a lot easier than I thought it would be, in that it isn't locked. But when it's opened, I carefully step out, Lucas following, a lot calmer. We arrive in what seems to be a hallway, carpeted red, lit by bright LED lights above, stretching far in both directions. There's numerous other doors, all leading off the sides, like a hotel - all with plaques on, I note. One reads Mario. One reads Wii. Another reads Zelda. None of it makes sense. I turn and give Lucas a shrug, but he's busy observing the plaque on our door.
"Does this mean anything to you?"
I look closer. Mother, it reads. I furrow my eyebrows.
"Not really."
The hallway is strangely tranquil. I wonder to myself, if there may be others in the rooms - but before I can investigate, there's an explosion of noise, as the Mario door is thrown open.
"NO!" roars a spiky, turtle-like beast. "IT MUST BE YOUR FAULT-"
"No-a-way!" A male, Italian voice counters. "You're-a no good! You probably-a captured us!"
Another Italian voice speaks. "Ohhh, mamma mia..."
"Why can't we just get along?" A pleasant, female voice asks. "This is crazy-"
Snap.
"Aagh! Not when that thing is stuck in here with us!" A redheaded woman bursts out of the room, and upon seeing us, freezes in place. "Uh, hello?"
The giant turtle turns, and growls at us. "HEY! IS THIS YOUR DOING?"
"No!" I exclaim hastily, backing away. "No - no it's not-"
A man with a large moustache and big red cap pops out of the door. "Hey Bowser! Mario-a say, leave those kids alone!"
Bowser stomps his foot. "IT'S NOT FAIR-"
"Waaaah!" A plump, yellow-and-purple clad man charges out. "WHAHAHAAAA… What have we here?"
Another door bursts open, and out streaks a golden-haired man. "What's all the racket, then?"
"Yeah!" A giant monkey appears, looking furious. "What's the big idea?"
"Yeah!"
Bowser turns on them. "HEY, YOU-"
It's pandemonium. As more and more doors burst open, creatures of all shapes and sizes emerge, some angry, some scared, and I find myself backed up against my door with Lucas, feeling quite overwhelmed. Who on earth are all these people? Where do they come from? Quickly, the hall is filled to the brim with shouting, until suddenly-
"SILENCE!"
Silence falls. It's not clear where the voice comes from; everyone looks around, momentarily stunned.
"I'M COMING FROM THE SPEAKERS, DUMBASSES!"
We all look at the speakers, dotted along the hall, and there's a lot of nodding, and 'oh yeah's.
"Hey! Where are we?" A blue hedgehog demands, and shouts of agreement echo down the hall.
The redheaded woman folds her arms. "Yes, I'd quite like to know that myself!"
The speakers shake with the noise. "ENOUGH! ENTER THE LOBBY, AND I SHALL EXPLAIN!"
"But-"
"GO!"
I give Lucas a glance. He returns a shrug, as if to say it's best to do what the voice says. And frankly, I agree. Of all the many people here, I can't help but notice, Lucas is the only one who looks anything vaguely like me, and so, I can't help but trust him. Plus, he has an honest face. And cool hair.
Together, we start to follow the horde of creatures down the hall.
"What do you think's going on, then?" I whisper to Lucas, very much aware of the large crocodile that's now behind us (walking on two legs, for some reason).
"I don't know…" he whispers back. "It's weird. Did you recognise that voice?"
I shake my head. "Not really."
"At least it's not…" Lucas begins, before trailing off, and gulping. "Never mind."
"Who?"
"It's not impor-"
"Pika!"
We look up. A happy-looking yellow creature has appeared in front of us.
"Pika!"
"Hello?" I say nervously.
"Pika?"
The creature looks up at us, as if expecting something.
Lucas and I exchange nervous eye-contact.
"Pika!" The creature turns on its heel, deciding it's had enough, and it hops on over the heads of a group of tall men with colourful hair, that all get angry and wave their swords around.
"Do you recognise anyone here, like, at all?" Lucas asks me.
"No," I reply, honestly. "Not a single one."
He falls quiet for a moment, before speaking up again, shyer this time. "What did you say your name was?"
"Ness."
He blinks momentarily. "Ness…"
"That's right, Ness. It's a bit of a dumb name, I know-"
Lucas swallows. "Then… I recognise you."
I look over, caught off guard. "Wha- you do?"
His eyes shine as he looks back, with a sort of admiration. "I do," he whispers, looking at me as if I'm made of diamonds. "I saw your wanted posters - in New Pork City. We must be from somewhere nearby - you beat Porky - or, Pokey, before me."
I frown. "Pokey? You know Pokey?"
I sense Lucas's hesitance, as he answers. "Yeah. I did."
I think about his words. New Pork City? That's not somewhere I've heard of before. But then again, Pokey, he did… escape. Troubled, I adjust my cap. What sort of connection could this boy and I have?
"It's a long story," the blonde adds, hurriedly, breaking out silence. "I'll tell you later. When we've figured out what all this is."
"Yeah, alright," I agree. "Later."
The hallway is so long, with so many doors, that it almost takes us a full minute to travel down it. But when we've reached the end, it opens out into a large, central stairwell, that descends, surrounded with majestic gold bannisters that twist and turn - basically, in a load of fancy spiral shapes. It's like a mansion, I conclude. Like a big, fancy, mansion. Porky would love it. Though, for me, it's almost too fake. We pass all sorts of gemstones and riches encased on the walls - things that mother would call pretentious and unnecessary.
When we reach the bottom of the staircase, everyone seems to come to a general halt. Lucas and I stand near the back (naturally), as we look around the room we've entered.
It certainly appears to be a lobby. There's a front desk (covered with even MORE gold), a high ceiling, pillars engraved with all manners of symbols, a fish tank (for some reason), everything anyone could want. Minus a front door, however - where that should be, there is only a blank, white, wall.
The voice erupts again out of a speaker next to me. "MEN, WOMEN, AND CREATURES ALIKE! WELL DONE, YOU FOUND THE LOBBY!"
"Hey!" An almost two-dimensional man shouts, pitch black and pixelated. "No need for that!"
"SILENCE, FOOL. ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN THE REASON YOU ARE HERE."
"A party?" An orange haired girl guesses. "Alright! I love a good party!"
"IT IS NOT A PARTY."
"A race?" Suggests a muscular man, in racing attire. "I will defeat you all!"
"Ha!" The blue hedgehog from earlier laughs. "No way, dude! Sonic will show you how it's done!"
"Waka-Waka-"
"PLEASE LET ME SPEAK FOR 2 MINUTES-"
"Maybe it's a quest!" A man dressed in green draws his sword.
"Or a battle." A fox with a crew cut narrows his eyes, scanning the room. "Speaking of which, Wolf! We have a feud to settle, here and now!"
"Surely you would not wish to damage civilians?" Wolf responds, slyly. "Poor, from a supposed leader."
"OH MY GOSH, YOU ARE ALL SO ANNOYING! BE SILENT OR-"
A muscular man in karate gear folds his arms. "Just hurry up and explain!"
"OKAY, THEN. WELCOME, ONE AND ALL, TO- HEY! STOP THAT!"
A large, blue birdlike creature holds apart two swordsmen, who seemingly decided to engage in a duel, during the explanation. I give Lucas yet another exasperated look.
The speakers boom out. "WELCOME, ONE AND ALL, TO THE CYCLE! YOU HAVE ALL BEEN SPECIALLY SELECTED, AND BROUGHT FROM YOUR RESPECTIVE WORLDS, TO BE HERE TODAY. MY NAME IS MASTER HAND, AND I AM YOUR INSTRUCTOR, AND GUIDE FOR THE CYCLE EXPERIENCE. IN YOUR POCKETS, YOU WILL FIND A HANDBOOK, AND A MOBILE PHONE. IN THE KITCHEN, THERE ARE COMPLIMENTARY CHOCOLATES. THAT IS ONE PER PERSON, KIRBY."
A small pink blob sulks in the corner.
"YOU ARE HERE, TO PARTICIPATE IN A COMPETITION! TO YOUR RIGHT, IS A DOORWAY INTO THE ARENA. EACH DAY, YOU WILL SELECT 5 COMPETITORS BY A VOTE, TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH IN THE ARENA. THE WINNER OF THE FIGHT WILL THEN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIGHT AGAINST ME, AND IF THEY WIN, THEY GET TO ESCAPE!"
An angel flaps his wings, disturbed. "And what happens to the losers?"
"THE CLUE WAS IN THE WORDS 'FIGHT TO THE DEATH', YOU FOOL. MORTALITY. ETERNAL SLEEP. THE BIG DIE. FOREVER!"
Clamour breaks out amongst the group.
"Does that mean we're all going to die?!" Two kids in parkas look at one another horrified.
"NOT SO. IT IS A GAME. IF YOU WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST ME, YOU MAY LIVE. IF YOU ARE THE FINAL PERSON LEFT IN THE CAST, YOU LIVE."
Mario puts his head in his hands. "That's - that's-a crazy!"
"TOO BAD. NOW, YOU WILL LIVE IN THIS MANSION, YOU CAN SLEEP IN THE BEDROOMS YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED. IN THE GUIDEBOOK IS A LIST OF ALL OF THE CONTESTANTS. THERE IS FOOD IN THE KITCHEN. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE MANSION, OR YOU WILL DIE. GOOD DAY!"
The speaker abruptly switches off, leaving us in horrified silence, after that barrage of information.
My mind spins. What is this? This is insanity. This is some insane dream, isn't it? All these people are mad, for one. And who could orchestrate a thing like this? Giygas is long gone. Porky is long gone. Who else - Master Hand? Who is that? My head throbs, I feel as if I should know - in fact, I feel as if I should know a lot more, all of a sudden. There is a sense of emptiness in my mind.
I was having a sleepover with Jeff.
Have I been stolen from my bed? Will mother be panicking? Tracy? No, nonsense. I'll find a way out of this situation, I always do! Everything always works out in the end.
I turn to Lucas, who looks frightened amongst all of the noise. All of the people.
I extend a hand, with a confident smile.
"Come on, mate. Let's go find the way out!"