"Sir, we can't find it..." A voice called over the intercom, and the blue ball growled deeply.
"KEEP LOOKING! I Want the MASK!" His bat-like wings moved in front of his face and he looked down. "Where can it be? I know I had it on when I fought Kirby..." His wings spread as he gasped. "Kirby!" Suddenly, he wrapped his wings around his small body, teleporting him from his room to outside the commanding deck. He stormed into the room and as his wings turned back into a cape, he began to get odd looks from the eagle steering the ship as well as other members in the deck.
"Is that Kirby?" one whispered.
The other shook his head. "No, Kirby's pink, not blue."
Meta Knight growled, and turned around, his normal yellow eyes a deep shade of red. "HOW DARE YOU COMPARE ME TO THAT PINK MENACE?" the crew members ran out, frightened of him. The eagle merely stared. "What are YOU looking at?" Meta Knight growled and the eagle ran out. Meta knight took control of the ship as he calmed. He steered the Halberd toward Whispy Woods once more...
Below, Kirby was wandering throughout Whispy Woods without a care in the world. He smiled as he saw an apple falling from a nearby tree. "Waeo!" he gasped with joy and ran toward it, eating the apple whole. Nearby, another apple fell and Kirby ran toward it, happily scarfing it down. Nearby, another apple fell and the process continued for about ten more trees until a pile was seen under Whispy. Kirby ran toward the pile and inhaled it happily. Below the pile was a silver mask. He blinked as Whispy stared at him, then the mask. Kirby picked up the mask and held it above him, the light shining through the large eyehole. Kirby barely recognized the mask and merely stared at it like it was an oddly shaped and coloured apple. Slowly, he brought Meta Knight's mask toward his mouth...
"STOP!" Meta Knight yelled, his hand outstretched as he flew down toward Kirby. Kirby jumped back, away from Meta Knight's sword. "That's my mask, give it back..." He snarled and Kirby blinked.
"Aeo?" Kirby stared at it in wonder.
"Come on, Kirby. I don't want to harm you in any unnecessary ways..." Meta Knight's wings were outstretched, ready to fly, in case Kirby resisted. The opposite hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Kirby smiled and Meta Knight blinked, then growled, yelling after him as Kirby dashed off with it. For awhile, Kirby and Meta Knight ran. Kirby was laughing happily while the other was growling with hatred. "GIVE IT BACK!" You don't know how important that mask is to me, you stupid pink ball... He thought to himself. Quickly, both of them stopped as the ground began to rumble with the approaching of a fat penguin and his Waddle Dee Army, heading right toward them.
King DeDeDe walked toward them, closely followed by his numerous Army of Waddle Dees, with a Waddle Doo leading them. When they stopped, silence took the three of them over. Meta Knight kept his distance from the pink ball and the fat penguin, who held and twirled his two-ton hammer like it was a pencil. King DeDeDe sighed heavily as he stared at Kirby for a moment, then the other and sighed again. "I hate to tell you this, and by hate, I mean you have no choice but to, but I need your help."
Kirby stuck his tongue out at the penguin and Meta Knight chuckled. "Kirby's right...why should we help you?" Quite suddenly, the King whomped Kirby with his hammer and the pink ball hit the nearest tree, the mask flying out of his hand. "Finally!" Meta Knight cried, and he flew into the air to catch the mask, fixing it to his face before landing. "Much better." Quickly, Meta Knight teleported away before the King could hit him. He appeared next to Kirby and sighed. "What do you say, Kirby? Go down without a fight?" Meta Knight drew his sword, little bolts of electricity appearing to form the blade. Kirby stood up and blinked, then shook his head. "Didn't think so." Meta Knight gave him a sword and a Link-ish cap with a lighter green ball appeared on his head.
Both Kirby and Meta Knight ran toward Kind DeDeDe, their swords ready to strike him. As they tried to double team the King, the Waddle Dee army got in front of them, blocking the shots. Somehow, after they were knocked away, they came back for more. No matter how many they knocked away, they never progressed toward the King, who remained stationary. Meta Knight growled frustratingly and Kirby just continued with his boundless energy.
After what seemed like hours had passed, both Kirby and Meta Knight were exhausted and gasping for breath. The King merely smiled, twirling his hammer once more.
"So, are you both going to help me now, or do you need more persuasion?" Meta Knight crossed his arms as his wings folded around him, only his eyes visible underneath a cloak.
"Hmph." said Meta Knight. Kirby sat down on the ground, laying his sword beside him.
"Waeou..." he whined. Meta Knight watched Kirby rubbed his empty belly. With a quick jump, Meta Knight flew onto the tree. Unsheathing his sword, he began cutting the stems of the apples, tossing them into three piles on the ground as they flew. As they fell, he hopped from branch to branch. Within about 30 seconds, he had around 50 apples picked. Once he made sure both Kirby's pile and the King's pile were about equal, he jumped back down, resheathing his blade. Kirby had no need to wait for anyone to tell him he could eat, so he quickly began.
As Meta Knight slowly ate his apples, King DeDeDe only stared at his pile, and something behind a nearby tree. With a long sigh, he started eating. His Waddle Dees continued to pressure him with each apple he scarfed down. Finally, he halted. Kirby smiled and stared at King DeDeDe, as he had already finished his pile several minutes prior. Meta Knight finished his apple, and then stared at the King with his yellow eyes. "What is it you wish of us, my liege?"
Looking back at the trees once more, King DeDeDe held worry and fear in his eyes. With a long and heavy sigh, he faced both of the Star Warriors. "There is a witch or something. I don't know what she is...but she is taking over my castle! She's turning my precious Waddle Dees into..." He stopped for a moment, and then waved his hand toward him, motioning for something to come toward him. "She's turning them into monsters." Both Kirby and Meta Knight gasped as they stared at a two legged creature with brown eyes and a brown crop of hair. It knelt next to the King and he gently patted his head. "This was a Waddle Dee." He softly spoke. With a tap on its head, it sat next to the King, just slightly towering over him. Meta Knight stood up.
"She did THAT?" He yelled toward the King, a bit astonished. Well, not a bit...more like really.
King DeDeDe nodded solemnly as he glanced at his servant, who sat there in silence. "So, now that you know what has been going on, will you help me? If I...we...don't stop her soon, the entire kingdom could end up like this." Meta Knight thought for a moment to him, and then looked over at Kirby, who nodded and stood up in battle ready mode. Meta Knight chuckled, and then nodded in reply to the King's question. King DeDeDe smiled gratefully. "Thanks. uhm, I'd rather not go back right now, if that's alright with you." Both Meta Knight and Kirby nodded, and then sat back down.
For the reminder of the night, the trio continued to eat their apples and talk about what was to come when they finally decided to go back. Soon enough, they fell asleep as the moon shone fully above them, partially blocked by the shade of the trees. They knew what was to come when they awoke, but they slept peacefully. The waddle Dee's remained awake; however, to keep watch and protect the trio as they slept. Even so, the Waddle Dees were unaware that someone, or something, was watching them in the form of a squirrel with a small red ring on its tail...