Paper Shadow : The Thousand Year Door

Still no smut. Next chapter, I promise. This ends the Prologue! Chapter one starts next... chapter.









“Freeze!” A shrill, annoying voice shrieked, causing Shadow and Goombella to stop dead in their tracks. “You two, not another step! Don’t come this way!” An old toad lady was pointing at them, while searching around on the ground. “Some complete JERK just bumped into me and made me lose a contact lens. I’m looking for it right now, so don’t you dare move! You hear me?”



Shadow, confused, turned to face Goombella, who had an equally bewildered look on her face. He turned back to face the angry woman, and his little blue shoe moved just the slightest bit…



Crick.



“AAAAAA!” She cried out, and Shadow shrunk away. “Idiot! You stepped on it!” She charged forward and heaved Goombella bodily to the side of the road. “I told you not to move! Don’t your stupid ears work? What were you thinking? This is your fault! Now I need a new contact lens, but YOU’RE going to get it for me!”



She marched away and stood in a small gateway in the wall running along the western side of town square. “This is the only way to the west side, and you aren’t getting through until you bring me a new contact lens!” Her cold glare made it rather obvious that she wasn’t kidding.



“Well, it was kind of your fault. You totally stepped on it.” Goombella whispered as the pair moved away from the crazed lady. “Hey, let’s just check the shop. Maybe we’ll luck out!”



Shadow shrugged, but they headed towards the small, run-down building anyway. “Welcome!” A genuinely nice and cheery voice called. “Welcome to the Toad Bros. Bazaar!” A green toad smiled and bowed at his customers. “What can I help you find today?”



Goombella smiled right back. “Hello, there. We need a contact lens. Got any?”



The toad frowned for a moment and took a quick look at his wares. “No, I don’t think we have any in right now… Tough luck, I know. I can special-order one for you right away, but it’ll take a while. Check back soon, okay?” He waved the pair out.



“Holy crap.” Shadow spoke up, standing on the stoop, staring at the closed shop door. “That was fast. I can’t tell if we’ve been swindled or not.”



“If we’d been swindled,” Goombella pointed out. “We’d have less money than before.” Looking back at the toad woman, she sighed. “Well, I don’t think we ought to tell her that they don’t have one. She’d probably slaughter us. Anyway, if she’s gonna block the west side, we can always check out the east!”



Shadow nodded, and they walked down the road, laughing together and taking in the sights. It’s a strange thing, having a friend. If either Shadow or Goombella were alone, the city would feel dark and oppressive. But walking together (Just having each other, really) somehow made everything they saw a joke. Well, almost everything.



“Oops! Pardon me, sucker!” Shadow was blown off his feet and crashed hard on his back as a blue figure came whipping by.



Shadow groaned and picked himself up as Goombella yelled back towards the figure, running through town square. “Hey! What’s your beef, pal? YEAH, I’M TALKING TO YOU!” She helped dust Shadow off and sighed. “Shadow, you gotta wake up, buddy! That guy just stole your wallet! That is so lame! Ugh, I hate this town!”



Shadow’s eyes grew wide and he turned back towards town square. Goombella did her best to keep up, but the kid was running at full sprint. He stopped in the middle of town square and looked around. “Which way did he go?” He asked her desperately.



Panting for breath and looking confusedly at Shadow, Goombella rasped a reply. “Why… is it… so… important?” She held her side.



“The map was in my wallet.” He pointed out very quickly, almost losing his air of calm.



Goombella’s eyes widened as well, and she pointed towards the west gate. “Crazy woman wouldn’t let him go by there, I’m sure.”



Shadow pointed back at the pier. “That’s a dead end, and I doubt the thief would be entirely comfortable surrounded by a bunch of sailors.”



Goombella looked at the small alleyway between the shop and the inn. “I think there’s another street back there.” She nodded at it, and they started towards it at a slow jog.



If the town square was a pit, the alley streets were a hole. Maybe not a hole: more like something that crawled out of the hole and then died. They moved slowly, trying to keep an eye on every suspicious figure, but it soon became apparent that each and every one of these figures was suspicious. “Where… did he go?” Shadow whispered nervously.



Goombella looked around for a moment with a serious glare, but her eyes softened for a moment as she saw a suspicious-looking buff goomba hauling crates. “Hey, big dude! We’re looking for a blue bandit. He came booking down here. Seen him?”



The goomba smiled delicately and laughed. “Yeah. Back there.” He nodded towards an ugly little house down at the end of the street. “You already getting into trouble, little flower?”



She nodded and waved a good-bye. Shadow followed her towards the house, expecting a battle plan of some sort. Instead, she opened the front door and shouted, “Hello! Doing okay?”



The bandit coughed up his drink and fell off of the stool he was sitting on. “Whoah! Uh, fancy meeting you here. You’re pretty dang persistent! What a pain.” He mumbled and reached into his pocket. “Here. You got me.” He handed the wallet back to Shadow, who quickly checked to find everything still there.



Goombella smiled and reached into a corner, picking up a small, glittering yellow thing. “We’ll just take this as compensation for the trouble, eh?”



The bandit looked like he had something to say, but he shut up pretty quickly. “Of course. It was a present for you guys, anyway.”



The pair walked out of the house and back up into the town square. “That was frighteningly easy.” Shadow laughed. “I keep expecting to have to beat the snot out of someone, but it really hasn’t been all that rough.” He grinned as they moved back towards the east side.



A large figure stepped into their path and grunted loudly. “Hold up, now, kiddos. Past this point is the turf of Ishnail, head of the Robbos. It’s ten coins to pass through. You try to pass without paying, and I’m afraid I’ll have to whip you but good.” He crossed his arms across his chest and a spear gleamed maliciously as it leaned on the wall beside him.



“Pssht!” Goombella laughed at the scary man. “Like we’re paying just to walk by. Move aside, loser.” She waved her hand lazily to the side.



Shadow shot her a look, but the man was already readying his spear. “What? You think you can fight your way through here? I’m gonna make you eat your words, goom-bitch! Let’s get this party started!” He dove towards her, spear pointed out.



Goombella barely had time to step out of the way, and the spear caught her side something nasty. Crying out, she fell to the side of the road and pulled out her C-FANG. She snapped a headshot of the man as he slashed out at Shadow.



“That’s Gus.” She read off in a loud voice to her battling friend. “He’s super-annoying and tries to take tolls from everyone. All in all, he’s pretty tough, but he doesn’t really know how to use that spear he swings around.” She finished off woozily, probably because of all the blood soaking through her shirt and dribbling down her pants.



The spear went clattering off to the other side of the road and Shadow grunted in exertion. Without his spear, this guy was a force to be reckoned with. He knew how to fight with his hands. A fist caught him, grazing his right cheek, and he cried out softly.



Ducking away from another angry swing, Shadow saw his opening. He ran forward and slid under a clenched fist, slipping between Gus’s legs. He brought his hammer up and smirked diabolically as his opponent screamed in pain. As the man fell to the ground, holding his crotch in both hands and ignoring the tears running down his face, Shadow kicked him once in the ribs, avenging Goombella’s outfit.



Goombella stood slowly and stepped over Gus’s trembling form. “Hmph. Later on, loser.” She said in a haughty voice, masking the pain and continuing through the eastern gate.



The moment the two had crossed out of Gus’s sight, Shadow dropped to his knees and turned to Goombella. “Let me see.” He reopened his backpack and pulled out a small can. “This is Mush Room. It speeds the healing of wounds drastically.”



Goombella pulled up her bloodied shirt and groaned as the cold foam sprayed on her side. “You sure this stuff works? I’ve seen it before, but I’m skeptical.”



Shadow stood again and wiped away the remainder of the foam. Smirking, he spoke with a challenging voice. “My cousins invented this stuff. Just take a look.”



Goombella sat on a (hopefully) clean barrel and ran a hand down her side. “Wow, that’s… amazing. It’s almost gone!” She laughed and kicked her feet, watching Shadow with interest. “You seem a little too good to be true, ya know? Quiet guy with a treasure map who just sort of decides I can come along with a small arsenal of useful tools in his backpack.”



“I’m out.” Shadow whispered, reading a sign on a nearby door. “Look at that.” His face brightened as he pointed out the little sign. “Trouble Center… Where people go to find help. We should check it… Oh.” His face fell again. “It’s closed. We should come back later, though. Okay?”



Goombella nodded and Shadow helped her to her feet. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Helping people is fine. Karmically correct, too.” She nodded and waved her hands at an approaching figure. “Hey, guess what?” She whispered excitedly. “Hi! Professor Frankly! Hellooo!”



The elder goomba whom had earlier been displayed on the C-FANG turned towards the calling voice. “Whuzzuh? Who’s there? Who wants me?” He moved closer and looked closely at Goombella’s beaming face. “Ah, yes. You. Now, you, uh… I’ve seen your face before. Yes, that face…” He mumbled, deep in thought. He looked away for a moment, covering his mouth with one hand.



“Don’t tell me! Silence! I’ll get it right!” He cried out as Shadow attempted to speak. “Umm…. It’s not Goombriel…” He spoke slowly and with obvious spaciness. “Errr…. It’s not Elizagoom… Hrrrmmm…”



His face suddenly lit up and he turned, waving a victorious finger in the air. “Aha! I’ve got it! You’re Goombella, aren’t you? You were in my archaeology class last year, am I right?” He crossed his arms, looking rather proud of himself.



“Wow!” Goombella cried, obviously surprised that the geezer had gotten it right. “That’s me, sir! I’m Goombella, a junior at U Goom! Goooo GOOMBAS!” She hollered, throwing a hand into the air and attracting dirty glances from every living thing on the street.



Professor Frankly nodded slowly. “Of course I remember you! Not to toot my horn,” he started, obviously meaning to toot his own horn, “but I’m pretty good at remembering. You, though. You stick out in my mind because you were such an exceptional student.” He stated, finally turning to acknowledge Shadow. “And that guy behind you is?”



Shadow felt confused. Professor Frankly was special, too. Kind of. He thought. It was hard to tell, for some reason. “Shadow…” He mumbled, lost in thought.



“WHO?!” Professor Frankly roared, deafening the teenage pair.



“His name is Shadow, Professor!” Goombella called in exasperation. “He’s just come from the Mushroom Kingdom!”



The Professor stuck a finger into one ear and turned it a little, sighing. “Hmm. I’m sorry, my hearing’s just not what it used to be.” He turned and started towards an oddly clean little house, motioning ahead. “How about you two come right in and tell me what sort of errand has brought you here?”



Goombella nodded and followed right away, though Shadow sort of lagged behind. “Well, Professor,” Goombella said with a nervous voice. “We were hoping you’d tell us about the legendary treasure said to be below Rogueport.” She closed the door after Shadow came meandering in. “I thought that if anyone knew anything about it, you would, Professor Frankly.” She sat on a comfy chair.



Professor Frankly’s house had a very… strange décor. That is to say, books were piled everywhere. Where there weren’t books, there were scrolls and scraps of paper. There appeared to be a bed in the corner, but it was impossible to tell, because it was covered in books. Big books, little books, new books, old books, more books than one could read in a lifetime! Though, considering the Professor’s age…



“Of course I know about it.” He snorted as he dropped onto a large swivel-chair. “The reason I came here was to study that very subject. But why do you tykes want to know about it? You know that most say it’s little more than a fairy tale, don’t you?” He spoke compassionately and calmly, with an air of intelligence that betrayed his act of senility.



Goombella shrugged and watched Shadow sit on the floor beside the chair. “Archaeologists and historians have to search for truth in those fairy tales, though.” She leapt back to her feet and held a fist in the air in front of her, bursting with enthusiasm. “Me, I believe the treasure really does exist. And I REALLY want to find it!” She stared at the Professor with a glare of determination that won through his forced calm.



“Good point.” He stated. “And well made. In that case, I’ll cooperate with you however I can.” He nodded for Goombella to sit again, and she complied with a small blush. “First of all, about the treasure… There are many mysteries surrounding it.” He pulled a couple of books over from a pile to the side, flipping through to find the pages he wanted. “Some stories say it’s an infinitely vast treasure horde, while others say it’s a magical item. Some say it’ s actually a monster, while still others claim it’s an empty chest.”



He flung the books to the floor and closed his eyes in frustration. “So many theories… Obviously, it’s impossible to divine the truth among them.” He sat up straight again and stared directly into Goombella’s eyes and spoke with deadly precision. “But, all agree on one point. To find the treasure, one must have the Crystal Stars.” He sat back again.



Goombella took over, thinking carefully. “’If one would find the treasure of yore, take the sev’n Crystal Stars to the Thousand-Year Door.’I think I’ve read about that before!” She agreed.



The Professor merely nodded and allowed her to continue. “’Hold the Magical Map aloft before the entrance to the Thousand-Year Door. Then the stars will light the way that leads to the stones of yesterday.’” She spoke with an excited air. “Yeah, I’ve read a lot about this, and apparently, if you take the Magical Map to the doorway, it’ll show the locations of the stars!”



By this time, both Goombella and the Professor were on their feet in excitement. “Precisely! And the Thousand-Year Door is supposedly here, deep beneath the town!” He cried in triumph, before he let his face fall once more. “Yet the critical piece of the puzzle, the magical map, is lost… If only we had that map!” He grunted angrily and turned back towards his chair.



“But we do have the map, Professor! Or… well… Shadow has it, anyway.” She faltered in embarrassment.



The Professor was looming over Shadow so quickly, the boy didn’t even have time to think about what had just been said. “Whaaat?!” He bellowed, pulling Shadow to his feet. For once, the old man seemed lost for words, but that didn’t stop him from trying… “Hummina hubbity hubbida hippity hoobida hammala huffala hoofala REALLY?!” He began to regain his composure. “You actually have it? Could I… just take a quick look at it? If you don’t mind?”



Shadow pulled out his wallet hesitantly and handed the withered document to the Professor. “Astounding! This is it!” He spoke incredulously. “You, son, are my HERO! You’re great! Fantastic! Wonderful, even! With this, we can find the Crystal Stars!” He pushed the parchment back into the boy’s hands and Goombella stepped back up.



“Right on, Professor! But… uh… I don’t suppose you know… how to get to the door? Do you?” She faltered, only now realizing the fault in the plan.



The Professor grinned slyly and moved to the furthest bookshelf. “Well, you see, in my poking around, before I bought this house, I discovered… this.” He pulled a large, boring-looking volume from the top of the shelf, and the wall rumbled and turned.



Three faces lit up as a pipe leading downward revealed itself to the bookworm’s house.









“Now, then.” The Professor squealed, ignoring the dark dank of the surrounding tunnel. “Just a couple more turns and we’ll be there!”



The kids followed close behind, stepping cautiously around… obstacles of all sorts. The Professor stopped for a moment to let them catch up.



“Hey! Hey, man! Wha’s up? Who’s the hottie you got there with you?” A male voice called from up ahead. Straining their vision, Goombella and Shadow were able to faintly make out three goombas strolling towards them.



“Wassup, baby?” The voice repeated, belonging to a well-built, dark-skinned goomba.



“Why don’t you hang with us for a while?” Another cooed. This one wore a spiked hat, and looked much tougher. “We play real nice!”



“Man!” The final voice laughed. This goomba had a pair of large, intimidating wings. “What’s a FINE-looking goomba like you doing with this snot-nosed human brat?”



Goombella stepped forward and checked out each of the men thoroughly before responding coyly. “Oh, it is like, SO sweet that you guys think I’m cute! Seriously!” She moved closer to the first one and smiled sweetly. “Yeah, guys like you make me feel like TOTALLY BARFING!” She smacked him and he stumbled back a few steps. “Now, get out of our way.”



Shadow stepped up beside her as the figures took more menacing positions. “Ouch! That was cold!” The spiked one growled. “What, you’re too good for us? Come off it, slut! Nobody zings us like that! Let’s get ‘em!”



The goombas charged forward, and the kids ducked out of the way. Shadow slipped around the spiked one and brought his hammer crashing down on his head. The goomba grunted dizzily and fell to the ground. Grinning in victory, Shadow failed to notice the normal goomba moving up behind him. He croaked and grabbed at his neck as a firm, muscular arm fastened itself there.



He struggled for a few moments before something knocked the both of them over. As he gasped for breath, he turned to see Goombella throwing punches into the oppressor’s gut. He turned to search for the winged one, so as not to be attacked from behind again, but the goomba was limping off, cringing and holding a battered wing. ‘Goombella must’ve already gotten that one.’



The goomba ran away from Goombella’s fists, tripping once and retching before he kept on. The spiked one had caught up to the paragoomba, and they were soon all blots in the dark. “Ha!” Goombella cried cheerfully. “Later on, losers! That. Felt. Awesome!”



The Professor returned from his spot in the shadows. “Excellent work, you two. Anyway, there will likely be plenty more where they came from, and I doubt any of them will be too friendly.” He started to move again, allowing the children to follow behind. “I wouldn’t be afraid to attack on sight, if I were you.” He muttered.







“This was definitely not here before.” The Professor stated curtly. A great yellow block stood in their path. “Most assuredly not here.” He repeated in dismay.



Shadow looked about and hmphed as something blue caught his eye. “What’s that?” He asked, and he walked over towards it.



“It’s a switch.” Goombella replied from behind him with a bewildered tone. “That’s weird. Why’d there be one down here?”



Shadow shrugged and stepped on it. It came up to his knee, but pressed down fairly easily. As it did, a staircase revealed itself on the far wall. “Woah.” Shadow mumbled and started towards it.



The Professor shook his head. “That’s very nice, but it’s on the OPPOSITE side. Wrong way, I’m afraid.” He groaned angrily as the kids ignored him. “But I suppose it might be a detour…”



Shadow reached down to lift up an odd little black key that was lying by the staircase. “I wonder… what’s this for?” Goombella merely shrugged and the two started up the stairs, Professor in tow.



At the top of the stairway, there was only a little stone panel with a strange symbol on it. Just beside it, there was a door leading to a shallow room. As Goombella studied the panel with interest, Shadow ducked into the room and looked around.



There was a large black chest in the middle of the room, almost oppressing him with its existence. He stared at it bemusedly for a moment, then the goombas walked in. “Hey, Shadow. Cool chest.” Goombella stated as she walked closer.



“Whoa!” A voice came from inside the chest and Goombella leapt backwards in shock. “Hey! Can you hear me? Hello?”



“Y-Yeah. We can hear you just fine.” Goombella turned and swapped confused looks with Shadow and the Professor.



“Wow! That must mean you’re the heroes of legend!” The voice in the box cheered. “Only the great heroes of legend can hear my voice. Everyone else: Nada. See, long ago, an evil spirit cast a spell on me, locking me in this box. I was bummed. I’ve been here ever since. Anyway, what brings you guys to a place like this?” The box droned on in a happy voice.



“Um, kids?” The Professor blurted, nervously. “I’m not entirely confident we can trust this… box. I think it may be best not to mention that we’re looking for the Crystal Stars.” He finished and hesitated for a moment. “Well, drat. I JUST SAID IT OUT LOUD! WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?!” He screamed in annoyance, granting peeved looks from the children once more.



“Oh, yeah?” The box replied, ignoring the final outburst. “Crystal Stars, eh? Well, you’re DEFINITELY going to need my help if you want to get those bad boys. So, uh… I think you should find a little black key. Then, you should open this box. That’s what I think.”



Shadow lifted the black key from his pocket and stepped forward. Goombella gave him an encouraging nod, so he took a deep breath and pushed the key into the lock. He hesitated, but nothing happened, so he gave it a little turn.



Almost immediately, a cry of joy rose from the chest. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thanks so much!” The lid began to open, and the voice cackled with a menacing overtone. “Ha! Thank nothing! WHEE HEE!” It screeched with a gleeful shout, causing Shadow to cover his ears. As soon as he did, a blanket of darkness swept over him. He was vaguely aware of Goombella calling out in surprise…



A pair of glittering yellow eyes opened from the darkness and fangs followed suit, grinning deviously at the boy. “Thought I was gonna help you, huh? Yeah right! Instead, I think I’ll spread a little of the suffering I’ve endured in that stupid box! I’m going to cast an evil, terrible curse on you!” The voice laughed again, and a flash of green cut through the darkness.



“Buggly-Wuggly-WOOO! You’re cursed! Wheee hee hee!” The voice screeched again. “Enjoy that curse, sucker! I’m not even going to tell you what it does! But here’s a hint. Don’t step on that runic panel over there!” A vivid image of the marked panel shot through his mind. “Farewell, you foolish fool! WHEE HEE HEE!” The demon screeched a final time, and then the darkness faded away.



Everything was silent for a moment, Shadow staring at the empty chest with a confused look on his face. “So…” Goombella started, with nothing really to say. “Uh…. Wow. Just wow.” She grumbled. “What was THAT guy’s beef?”



Shadow shrugged, and the trio stepped out of the room. Shadow froze for a moment and looked at the panel. Was it… glowing? Without thinking about it, he stepped onto it and spread his arms wide. Goombella shrieked in shock as his body folded onto itself and became a grotesque, living paper airplane. It soared about halfway across the room, until.



‘No! No! Wh-What is this?! I want it to-‘ “STOP!” Shadow cried, and his body unfolded. He fell to the room’s floor with a loud FWUMP! Then he just moaned. Goombella came charging down the stairs to see him.



“Are you okay, Shadow?” She helped him to his feet and he nodded slowly. He was a little dazed, a little dirty, but he hadn’t actually been hurt.



He took a moment to catch his breath, then he stomped back up the stairs. “Maybe I can get across! Maybe, you guys can hold on to me, and we can make it over there!” He pointed to the top of the yellow block on the other side of the room. A doorway laid right on top of it, leading, no doubt, to the Thousand-Year Door.



Goombella hesitated, but the Professor stepped right up. “Good idea, Shadow! Let’s give it a go!” Goombella groaned, but reluctantly stepped up anyway.



Shadow took a deep breath, stepped on the panel, and opened his arms.









“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.” Goombella complained, holding a battered knee. “Nice flight, but work on your landings.”



The Professor watched as the children picked themselves up. Shadow was still dazed. “Too heavy… with two. Just one next time. One at a time.” He panted. “Nice roll, Professor.”



The Professor shrugged and started forward, forcing the children to move to keep up. “I’m not entirely useless you kno-” He froze mid-word and his eyes grew large. “Shadow! Goombella! LOOK!” He cried with a voice of ecstasy. “The Thousand-Year Door!”



That moved the pair of teens onto their feet and into the room. The room was torn down. At one point, when the pillars still stood upright and the tapestries were fresh and new, this room must have been beautiful.



“It’s so beautiful…” Goombella gasped under her breath. The door itself was larger than any of the buildings in Rogueport. It was covered in intricate designs that depicted stars and magical swirls.



So entranced were the trio, moving forward in a dreamlike state, it came as a total surprise when Shadow’s foot flitted on top of a stone pedestal, only a few dozen yards from the door itself. The entire room lit up, and for a moment, Shadow could see it at its very prime. Stars. The seven stars reached out to him and caressed his face so gently. Then they took the map from his pocket and, with infinite care, drew his finger over the place where the first glimmering jewel lay dormant.



“Shadow! SHADOW!” Goombella screamed at the blinding lights surrounding the pedestal and the Thousand-Year Door. “Professor, what’s going on?!” She turned and squinted at the blinded old Goomba, but a childish scream of pain muffled any reply he could have been mustering. The sound could only have been- “SHADOW!”