DISCLAIMER: I do not claim ownership to Kirby or anything affiliated with Nintendo.
After a brutally long and unjustifiable hiatus from writing, I have returned with this thing! It's going to revolve heavily around the games continuity like my other two stories. I wrote this with space and trans-dimensional travel in mind, so if you don't like any of those things, well, there might not be much for you here.
ANYWAYS. Enough Talking. The time for Story Time is now! Enjoy!
Journey to The Edge of The Stars
Kirby bounded up the hill, headed straight for the king's castle. He'd been summoned, along with many of his friends, to an important meeting in the throne room of Castle Dedede. The details were vague, but Kirby figured whatever the meeting was for, it was surely important.
Castle Dedede was one of the tallest buildings in all of Dreamland. It was also, as Kirby could testify, one of the most defended. Thousands of Waddle Dees, Sir Kibbles, Waddle Doos, Poppy Brothers and Blade Knights prowled the halls, waiting for any intruders to dare enter. The captain of the King's army, the Waddle Dee himself stood at the front gate. His blue bandanna was tied around his head as always, a gift from Adeleine, the world famous artist after an adventure they all shared together so long ago.
"Kirby!" Waddle Dee shouted, "C'mon, the meetings starting!"
"Sorry!" Kirby said apologetically, "I slept late today."
Waddle Dee took Kirby by the paw and the two hurriedly scampered through the halls towards the throne room.
Six figures stood at the foot of the King's throne. Three of them floated just above the floor, though one used two beating wings to hover. The rest had their feet planted firmly on the ground.
Magolor was the first to greet Kirby.
"Hey, old buddy!" He said jovially, "Still kicking, I see!"
Kirby and the Halcandran slapped hands. Taranza wrung his six hands together nervously.
"Hello, Kirby." He managed, "Uh, no hard feelings right? We cleared this up a while ago, yes, but still…"
Magolor chuckled, "Stop it, Taranza, Kirby's a real forgiving guy!"
The other mage smiled, "Yes, I know."
Ribbon flew down and embraced her old friend.
"Kirby!" She started, "It's been so long, I've been so busy!"
"I know!" Kirby said, "Me too!"
Adeleine cut in, "Hey, Mr. Pink Puff!"
Kirby made a face, "Well, hello to you, Ms. Paint-Face!"
The two shared a quick laugh and a quick hug.
Kirby looked around the room once more and sighed happily at the thought that the gang was together again, with the added company of Taranza.
The last person to greet Kirby was none other than Meta Knight. He stood a bit offset from the group, and shot Kirby only an approving nod. The masked knight had a particular dislike for formal meetings.
King Dedede cleared his throat importantly.
"Um, hey!" He cut into the reunion, "I know we have some serious catching up to do, but it'll have to wait!"
Everyone turned to look at the penguin king, who glared down at them. Dedede still hadn't lost his air of royalty.
"Now then." He said, "As the King of Dreamland and the Planet Popstar, I have the oh-so-exhilarating duty of checking the Star Rod every morning for trouble. And that was going great for a while, nothing to report. Until this morning."
Dedede pointed to the fountain behind him.
The Star Rod, which was formerly located in the Rainbow Resort, had been moved, along with the Fountain of Dreams, to the inside of Castle Dedede after the Nightmare Incident. Dedede had sworn to protect the sacred object, but he bellyached that Rainbow Resort was just too far away to guarantee that protection. With some help of Meta Knight's personal guard, the Fountain was safely relocated to Dedede's throne room.
"See how it's not glowing?" The King commented, "Something's up in the Universe but I can't get the darn thing to show me what!"
Magolor, being well versed in ancient relics, raised his hand.
"Well, King, no offence, but to get the Star Rod to show what's up, someone with a pure heart needs to activate it. And your hands aren't exactly clean."
Dedede bristled at the comment, and several of the occupants of the room giggled. The King sighed.
"Well then." He gestured to Kirby, "You're up, marshmallow boy."
Kirby smiled at the King's newfound humility, however unlikely it was to show. The puff walked to the fountain and stepped cautiously into the shimmering waters. It wasn't warm and inviting like it usually was. The water was cold and frigid. Kirby shivered, but stepped in front of the Star Rod. He spread his paws, the Star Rod lifted from its pedestal. The star on its top glowed and shimmered red and blue. The sound of shining stars filled the room, and a glowing orb materialized in front of the assembly.
Meta Knight squinted into the orb as the image inside cleared. He stared intently as a blanket of stars was shone to all. The Gamble Galaxy could clearly be seen, and soon enough, the Great Comet NOVA came into view.
But instead of his usual shining golden appearance, NOVA's sun-like skin was rusted and haggard. The wise eyes that had granted the wishes of the brave were tired and blank. The usual turning of the gears on Nova's sides was slow and laborious. The Comet's voice echoed through the room.
"…Help…"
Everyone shook with chills, even Meta Knight.
The orb quickly faded, and the Star Rod plinked down in its pedestal unceremoniously. Everyone stood in shock for a long while. Meta Knight broke the silence with a low whisper.
"I know of no power great enough to do such a thing.
Magolor shook his head, "The ancients designed NOVA to be invincible to practically everything. He could be damaged, but that would be easily repaired over time. Whatever did this had to have limitless…"
He recalled something, "The crown…"
Adeleine clutched her Crystal Shard she wore around her neck in her hand.
"I'll bet that Dark Matter's involved in all of this." She muttered.
"Regardless of who did this," Meta Knight spoke up, louder this time, "We should go to NOVA and investigate. We will find more answers there than here."
Magolor snapped his hand, "Right. I'll bring the Lor around. We'll be there in a few minutes, tops."
Kirby looked to the Star Rod, which had faded in color.
"Should we bring the Star Rod?" He asked.
Dedede scratched his lower beak. "If that crazy Nightmare has anything to do with this, we should take it, yeah. Grab it, Kirby."
Kirby did so, pulling the faded rod from its place. He hopped down next to the King and handed it to him.
Dedede took it and placed in his robe. He took up his hammer and led the group outside. Waddle Dee walked beside him.
"Your majesty, "Who will guard the caste?" He asked.
King Dedede stopped, letting the others walk past he and Waddle Dee.
"Good question." He said, "But whatever's going on up there is more important than what we should worry about down here. We'll leave it alone."
Waddle Dee shifted from one foot to the other, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
The King nodded and kept walking, "I'm sure."
Waddle Dee shrugged, and kept pace.
The Lor Starcutter had set down right in front of Castle Dedede. The ramp leading to the ship's interior extended welcomingly towards the group. Magolor stepped to one side and gestured to the door.
"Go on, she won't bite!" He said happily, "Unless she decides to!"
The inside of the ship was just as Kirby remembered. Magolor's control board hovered above the floor in the center of the first room. The giant view screen displayed the ship's energy capacity. All one hundred and twenty energy spheres were in place, and Kirby couldn't help but smile at the fruits of his arduous effort.
Adeleine and Ribbon walked aboard chatting amiably as they always did, and Dedede gravitated towards them along with Waddle Dee. Taranza and Magolor stuck together at the main computer hub. Meta Knight stood alone, as usual. Kirby found himself standing in the middle of the three parties.
He stared for a moment at Meta Knight and found himself walking towards the knight. Meta Knight noticed Kirby's approach and turned towards him.
Kirby shifted awkwardly under the piercing gaze
"If you have something to say, you should say it." Meta Knight said lightly.
"Well…" Kirby sighed, "I get the feeling that you know what's going on."
Meta Knight eyed Kirby critically.
"You could say that I have an idea." The Knight said carefully.
"Well, what is it?" Kirby pressed.
Meta Knight spread his hands; "There are many who would abuse the power of NOVA for their own gains. Such as Marx."
Kirby winced, "Yes, but he's gone."
Meta Knight clicked his tongue, "No Kirby. You cannot kill a soul. We thought the same fate of Magolor, and he is very much alive as you can clearly see. Though, he returned to us the same as he was before his transformation."
"But Marx ripped himself apart." Kirby countered, "He broke apart and everything. He's gone."
"Wrong again, young one." Meta Knight said with a slight twinge of amusement, "The power he absorbed is too great to be destroyed. He is just as alive as you and I. But he was driven mad. He is more dangerous than you think."
"Well, where is he?" Kirby asked.
"That," Meta Knight replied, "I do not know. But I sense that he, as well as several other foes of ours, is behind NOVA's current state. We must get to the bottom of whatever transpired there."
Kirby looked to the glossy floor, uncomfortable with what he was about to ask. "What if NOVA…"
"Dies?" Meta Knight put a thoughtful paw where his mouth would be, "I suspect the result would be catastrophic. The immense power stored within NOVA would be released all at once. The entire Gamble Galaxy is in danger, and I believe the problem goes beyond what we know now. We can only wait as of now."
Kirby sighed. Meta Knight had a way of putting things in a manner that sounded hopeless. But the Knight himself never showed anything more than mild emotion whenever he spoke outside of battle.
The Lor Starcutter cut through the Gamble Galaxy swiftly. The small ship and its occupants were unaware of the mass following close behind. A black cloud surged undetected through space, just behind the Lor. No one realized what danger they were in until Adeleine's Crystal Shard began to whine.
"Trouble!" She shouted, "There's Dark Matter nearby!"
Ribbon put a hand on her temple, "Yeah, I can feel it! Behind us!"
Magolor, skeptical of the danger, shook his head, "No way, there's nothing faster than my ship. They'll be behind us in no time flat!"
"Magolor." Meta Knight ordered sternly, "Check behind us."
Magolor's brow ruffled, but he obeyed, opening a visual connection with the rear of the ship. He jumped with a start upon seeing the billowing mass of black matter following close behind.
"Everybody hang on!" He shouted.
Taranza gripped the control board with all six hands. The others grabbed hold of whatever they could hang on to as Magolor whipped the Lor into a hard turn. The ship groaned under the pressure of the turn, but obeyed.
Magolor saw the cloud whip past his ship and grinned. He wasn't called the best Starcutter pilot in the Gamble Galaxy for nothing. He willed the Lor's engines to maximum power. The ship's two engines flared and the Lor rocketed towards the cloud. Magolor held fast to his control board, but Taranza was blocking the weapon controls.
"Hey, Spider Face!" He grunted, "Mind moving out of the way for a minute?"
Taranza held fast, "You know, eight hands is better than two and six combined. How about I help?"
Magolor quickly agreed, "Fine! Hit the button with the globe icon on it!"
One of Taranza's six hands slapped down on the button. The Lor flashed with energy and a bubble shield engulfed the entire vessel.
"Good!" Magolor said, "Now hold tight! Things are going to get bumpy!"
The Lor smashed into the cloud. Small Dark Matters were knocked away from the mass as the Lor plowed through. The cloud was forcefully parted around the Lor until the ship had bore a huge hole all the way through. Magolor spun the ship around.
"Okay, Taranza." He said as the ship halted, "Disengage the shield."
Taranza's free hand tapped the button and the bubble around the Lor dissipated. The spidery mage looked to his counterpart.
"What now?" Taranza asked as Magolor observed the cloud.
"Hit the button with the oar icon." Magolor ordered, "That'll buy me some time to think."
Taranza obeyed and his hand came down on the oar icon. The Lor lurched as its six oars jettisoned into space.
"What're you doing?!" Ribbon shouted, "Don't we need those to fly?!"
"Nope." Magolor said, proudly, "Just watch!"
The oars suddenly began to shimmer in a golden aura. They pointed to the offending cloud of Dark Matter and launched themselves at it. The cloud seemed to panic as the oars carved through it. They ripped through the cloud like knives through butter, peeling off more Dark Matters in the process.
Magolor snapped his hand, "I've got it!"
"What?" Taranza asked.
"Hit the button with the sail on it!" Magolor said excitedly as the oars returned to the Lor's sides. "I'll handle it from there!"
Immediately after Taranza hit the button, a vicious tornado erupted from the Lor's sail. The cloud was trapped in it as soon as the tornado appeared. Magolor yanked the Lor into a spin, dragging the wounded Dark Matter cloud along with the it. He strained under the stress of the spin, but he held on. The Lor picked up speed rapidly in the turn.
After a few long seconds, Magolor rasped to Taranza, "Press it again!"
Taranza's hand moved slowly against the force of the turn, but he slammed it down on the button. The tornado cut out almost instantly, and the cloud, released from its orbit with the Lor, rocketed off into space at a startling speed. Magolor eased the Lor out of its own spin and very nearly collapsed in exhaustion.
He picked his head up slowly, glancing around the control room.
"Is everyone okay?" He asked.
Adeleine checked her Crystal Shard. It had returned to its normal state.
"Everything's A-Okay as far as I'm concerned." She said.
Everyone agreed with her sentiment.
"Man, I've been on the business end of that…" Dedede said with a hint of appreciation, "Still, good job, there, Magolor."
The Halcandran shrugged, "Well, I had to do something. Sorry it involved so much spinning."
"You did what you had to." Meta Knight said, "But we mustn't be hung up on this small victory. We have to reach NOVA."
"Don't be such a buzzkill, MK." Magolor said, "We're all just as anxious to get to NOVA as you are. Lighten up a bit."
The Knight, not willing to argue with the witty Halcandran, simply shrugged.
Magolor turned to Taranza, "You did pretty good for a first-time flyer."
Taranza spread his hands, "All I did was press a few buttons. Even Dedede could have done that."
"Hey!"
Magolor snickered, "Yes, well. It helps to have an extra hand or two with controlling this ship."
Kirby looked to Meta Knight, "So Dark Matter's in on this too."
Meta Knight sighed, "It would seem as much."
Ribbon floated over to Kirby, "I wouldn't worry too much about Dark Matter." She said, "It's rogue Dark Matter that forms these clouds. They're independent of one another, so they aren't much of a threat."
Meta Knight looked at her curiously, "Independent Dark Matters, you say?"
"Yeah." Ribbon said, matter-of-factly, "It's almost like a beehive that lost its queen, only replace the bees with an interstellar death blob and the queen with a giant apathetic eyeball."
Kirby shuddered, "Good thing that eyeball is destroyed, right?"
Ribbon nodded, "Really good."
"Your Majesty!" A shrill voice broke the silence of NOVA's Core.
She turned to see a small, purple puff bounding up the silvery steps to NOVA's heart. She narrowed her eyes in distaste.
"This had better be important, little imp."
"Oh!" He said, "It's quite important! Very important! Yes, extremely important, indeed!"
"Well, out with it." She said, boredly, "I don't have an eternity."
"Our cloud we made, you know the one, failed in defeating them! No fun, no fun at all!"
The female put a weary hand on her head, "This heart transplant is taking longer than I thought. They'll ruin everything…"
"What should we do?!" The imp bounced up and down in panic, "What should we do?!"
The female looked to the object in her left hand. It was red and pulsating with raw hatred. She shivered.
"Go." She ordered her imp, "Prepare the defenses! I shall continue with this operation. I trust that you will serve me well."
The imp leapt into the air, "As you wish, My Glorious Majesty!"
With that, the imp hopped down the stairs, laughing in psychotic glee. The female looked after him, disturbed, then down at the red orb in her hand. She turned back to the broken heart in its chamber in the center of NOVA. The red orb hovered away from her hand and hung just in front of NOVA's shattered heart. The female tensed, poised to rip the heart out of its chamber.
"That little imp had better do his job." She muttered, "Or the Master's plan will fail. And if that happens, I'm finished…"
Aaaaand that wraps up Chapter One! Oh boy, this is gonna be fun! If you liked what you read, please leave a review, drop some advice or discuss your love of pancakes, 'cause hey, I like those too. Until next time!