Chapter 7: Ancient Area
Kirby and his allies were now on the top left corner of Popstar, this place was filled with large towers that touch the sky. There was also places located in the sky itself, like Cloudy Park. Kirby and Dedede can still remember their friend Ado, who always liked to paint the beautiful skies. After all that Dark Matter thing was over for good, they haven't seen her at all. They had heard that she returned to her home planet wherever is it.
The gang was know facing the entrance of what seemed to be ruins of an ancient civilization. They looked around their surroundings, almost everything was in debris. The only things that were in good condition were some pillars, pots, scrolls, an odd statue that looked like a necklace with a description that said:"Monile. Ancient being of perfection and destruction."
"Almost everything is in debris." said Kirby "How old is this place?"
"Hm... Well, most of the buildings were destroyed, but they don't seem to be way too old, so maybe around 300 to 500 years ago. This isn't too old, but still an ancient area." said Starry.
"Wow" said Kirby amazed,"How can you tell that so easily?"
"I like archaeology, it's my second favorite grade. My favorite is astronomy." said Starry.
"I most admit that your knowledge is impressing." said Meta Knight.
"Um... Thanks." said Starry, even with the hood on, anyone could tell that she was blushing. She pulled out the container and it turned into a compass, every single cardinal point letter had different colors for some reason. The N was pink, the E light blue, the S red and the O purple. Starry started to walk towards the direction the compass was signaling. The other party members followed her.
After a short while they found a giant maze with walls three times bigger than Dedede. But that didn't bother them too much by the fact that Starry had a compass. They stared at the entrance, nearby it was a plaque that said "The answer is underneath." They didn't understand it too much. They simply entered to the maze. After few seconds. Suddenly a mysterious fog appeared.
"What the?" said Starry "Guys, can you hear me?"
"I can!" said Kirby, walking closer to her.
Meanwhile...
"Starry, is that you?" asked Meta knight walking to what he thinks its Starry's blue eyes, but suddenly he discovered it was only just a lanzor, who tried to attack him but Meta Knight dodged and attack, in one single slash it disappeared like smoke.
Suddenly something else bumped with him. The knight suddenly put himself in a fighting stance. The fog disappeared and it revealed that that was Dedede.
"Meta Knight?" asked Dedede "Where is Kirby and Starry?"
"We had separated, again." he said.
"What should we do?" asked Dedede.
"Find them" said the blue knight, who turned his cape into wings and flew high to the sky, but when he was about pass the wall's height, he crashed against some sort of invisible barrier.
The knight fell on his two feet, and his wings turned into his cape.
"Great. Know what?" asked Dedede.
"We must find the exit walking." said Meta Knight.
Both the King of Dreamland and the Masked Swordsman begun to walk.
Meanwhile, back to Kirby and Starry...
"What should we do?" asked Kirby.
"I don't know, we could escape, but we can't leave Meta Knight and Dedede here." said Starry."We must find them and then leave. But where should we go then?"
"At least we should start to walk, wherever Meta Knight goes, it's always forward." said Kirby.
"Right!" said Starry and both began to walk.
After a while Starry and Kirby found themselves a path filled with gordos and ice. Both walked carefully, trying to not make contact with any gordo. Between two of the spiky creatures was an invisibility candy. Kirby skillfully grabbed it without making contact with the gordos. After passing all those creatures, they found it was an dead end as a wall of gordos blocked the path, or at least it was. Kirby consumed a part of the invisibility candy and ran through the gordos without issues.
"Hey! How am I going to pass, Kirby?" the hooded girl asked.
Kirby passed through the gordos and gave Starry the other part of the candy.
"Eat this." he ordered.
Starry consumed the candy, and both passed the gordos.
After they passed the gordos they found several enemies. They run as fast as they can. After passing the enemies the effect of the candy wore off.
"Wow!, that was cool, yet how does that candy make us invulnerable?"
"I don't know, may the high amount of sugar." said Kirby.
At the end of the course they also found few star dust.
Starry grabbed it and said "How could this fell of if there is a barrier?" asked Starry.
"May be the barrier only just prevents people to escape." said Kirby.
Meanwhile...
Dedede and Meta Knight where running after a crazy Key Dee, before it could kill itself with spikes.
"Almost, almost!" said Meta Knight almost reaching the Dee with his sword. They were nearby the pit with spikes. Suddenly a flying hammer appeared and hit the Dee. It drop the key, almost on the spikes. Meta Knight grabbed it, and Dedede took his hammer.
"Dedede 1, Meta Knight 0" he said rising his hammer proudly.
"Do you always make everything a competence?" asked Meta Knight.
"Yeah, got a problem with that?"
"No" Meta Knight said carrying the key to the locked blockade,"And only just to inform you, I won."
"What do you mean?" asked Dedede.
"First, I got this sack of stardust." he said.
"And..."
"Second, I'm not the one who is sinking in quicksand."
"Wait, what?!" said Dedede, he looked down and notice that the half of his body was already sank in quicksand that seemed to appear from nowhere. He started to panicked.
"Please try to calm down, you're making it worse." said Meta Knight.
Dedede stopped to shake crazily, and Meta Knight left.
"Hey, where are you going?!" the ruler asked "Aren't ya going to help me?!"
"..." the knight simply walked away ignoring him.
"Meta Knight! Come know and help me right now! Meta Knight... META KNIGHT! Please, Please come and help me! I don't want to die know! I'm way too great to die! Meta Knight! What about Bandana Dee! What about Kirby, Starry and the other Waddle Dees! Meta! SIR META KNIGHT!"
The king had all his body sank in the sands, only leaves the head. He was afraid, but did his best to not panic. He simply closed his eyes and wait for his end.
Suddenly he heard a voice said "Dedede, sorry for make you waiting."
The King opened his eyes and saw Meta Knight with a rope. The knight tossed the rope next to Dedede
"Grab this" the blue knight ordered.
Dedede obeyed. Meta Knight started to pull the rope and Dedede was free from the quicksand.
"Well... we had lost to much time, so let's..." suddenly Meta Knight got interrupted when Dedede tackled him on a hug.
"Thanks for not leaving me there to die!" he said hugging the knight.
"Ah..." the knight sighed "No problem, Dedede."
After few seconds, the king freed the masked warrior, "Um... that never happened, 'kay?" he said kinda embarrassed for such reaction.
"Well, like I was saying, let's continue onward!"
After a while of walking around, Starry and Kirby ended up again in another dead end.
"Ugh! Not again!" said Kirby "This is the eighth time this happens! I wish there could be an easier way to walk through this labyrinth."
"At least we have this compass." said Starry to the little irritated Kirby.
"Yeah, but it only marks were the piece is and the cardinal points, not the right path."
Starry gazed at the floor feeling a bit pity for her answer. Then she noticed something.
"Hm... Hey Kirby!" she said "Had you noticed that all this floor is filled with dust."
"Yes"
"Do you remember that plaque at the start?"
"Yeah, it said that the answer is underneath. Why are you asking?"
"Because I think that I know what it means." the hooded archer said. Then she started to rub the floor, when she finished to clean, the duo find something, that the floor had an X on it."Just as I expected!" Starry exclaimed "There is a hidden pattern on the floor! Now when need some sort of vacuum or broom cause I don't think we can be rubbing until finding the exit and the guys. Neither you can be inhaling to the exit."
"I'm one step before you." exclaimed Kirby, he was now wearing a yellow bandana with green stars printed on it. And wielded a broom. "Wow... It has been a while since I used the clean ability."
"Where did you got the ability?" asked Starry. Suddenly she notice a broom hatter, who didn't even had a broom.
"Good luck cleaning this mess!" he exclaimed. "It never stays clean."
"Ok... that's how, but are you going to sweep the way to the exit?"
"Who said I'm going to sweep?" the pink puff said. He sat on his broom, which started to levitate. "Stay behind me and watch out for the symbols."
Starry nodded and both young warriors continued onward.
Meanwhile back with Dedede and Meta Knight...
The duo had found a Mr Tic Toc and were trying to defeat him. After few slashes, smacks and avoiding the sound waves, the clock mid-boss got defeated. The duo continue walking, but then they ended in a dead end. They tried to return, but the path was blocked by a blockade that opens by pressing a pink switch, which was at the other side of the blockade.
"Now what?" asked Dedede.
"Hm... I... don't have any idea." said the knight.
"Do ya mean we are trapped until someone comes to press the switch?"
"Yes..."
"This is great!" said the king sarcastically. He sat nearby a wall and stared at the sky.
"Hm... Unless..." the knight thought. Meta knight stared at the knocked out enemy. He was hesitant about this, but the probability of Starry and Kirby to find them was very low, and there will not be any enemy that will help them. "Come on Meta, I know you haven't done this since so long ago, but this seems to be the only alternative." Meta Knight turned to Dedede to make sure he wasn't watching him. Then he stared at Mr Tic Tock and slowly took off his mask. He wasn't sure about this, what if it doesn't work. But he most at least try. He closed his now white eyes, and slowly open his mouth. "You can do this Meta!" The knight relaxed and started to inhale the enemy.
The enemy didn't moved, the blue puffball tried to inhale stronger. The enemy started to shake, but the knight started to get tired."I can't do this..." he thought, his inhale got weaker...
"My end is coming!" exclaimed Dedede to himself, he didn't had noticed yet that behind him was a blue puffball trying to inhale a mid-boss.
"Not I must not give up!" thought Meta Knight. He tried to inhale more stronger, the fallen enemy started to shake. Then it entered to the blue warrior's mouth. He quickly engulfed it. Then a headphone appeared on his head, it was quiet similar to Mike Kirby's, yet this one was color purple and instead of a yellow star, it was a light blue quaver. He also had the same microphone that his pink counter partner's. He had transformed into Mike... Meta?
The blue knight was glad it worked, he was using his copy abilities again. Now he tried something, he put his microphone in front of him, took a deep breath and yelled. His voice sounded so high pitched without his mask, almost like Kirby's.
Dedede had noticed so noisy screamed and turned around. He got shocked for what he saw.
Meanwhile back to Kirby and Starry.
"Hey had you heard that?" asked Kirby.
"Yeah." said Starry "Do you think we most follow the sound?"
"Yes, and we must hurry! Quickly jump on my broom!"
Starry quickly jumped to the broom and both rushed towards where the sound came from.
Suddenly they heard another scream.
"It came from there." said Starry.
Meta Knight charged one final blow. And then screamed.
After few seconds the knight and the King heard voices.
"I think they are here." said a childish voice, Kirby's.
"Quickly press that pink switch!" said a young female voice, Starry's.
"Luckily I carried this block." said Kirby.
Meta Knight quickly put on his mask and then turned to Dedede.
"You never saw that." said Meta Knight.
The king answered with a nod.
Suddenly the exit opened, and Kirby and Starry run towards the duo.
"Meta Knight, Dedede, I'm glad we finally find you!" said Kirby happily.
"Hm... Guys, how did you made that sound?" asked Starry.
"Now that I think about it, yeah, how?" said Kirby "Because as I remember, only the Mike transformation can reproduce such sounds."
"Well... Um..." said Meta Knight. Even thought Kirby have seen his face before. He doesn't want him to know he got the same abilities by personal motives that even the blue puffball can't explain.
"Well, moments ago we were fighting Mr Tick Toc and maybe something in the maze could just had altered the sound." said Dedede.
At the moment Meta Knight thought that Dedede had ruined everything already, but he got shocked by Kirby's answer, he said:"Hm... You may be right. After all this maze seemed to be curse or something like that."
"Yeah may be..." said Starry. "Anyway, let's move on!"
Kirby jumped back to his broom and the trio followed him.
"Thanks for not telling them..." whispered the blue knight to Dedede.
"Telling them what?" asked Dedede.
The Knight chuckled a bit.
After few seconds they finally reached to the exit.
"Well... The compass says that the last part, the orb, is in that temple." She was pointing to the only building that still in stable state.
The gang followed her to the entrance and entered to the temple. Inside the were several pillars made of marvel, few broken. There were also torches and pots, some showed interesting pictures like an complex being using the power of light to destroy.
They also found the copy pedestals of sword and mirror. Kirby decided to keep the clean ability.
After few seconds they reached to an atrium. There were several marvel nearby the walls, which were color white as the snow, and covered by vines that had beautiful flowers color yellow. The floor was color grey as the silver, covered by a straight line of stardust that leads to the other side of the giant patio to some sort of pedestal made of iron, on top of it was a red pillow with some sort of golden helmet, on it was the orb. Surrounding the pedestal were many white pearls.
The quartet move towards it. When they got very close to it, the orb and the helmet started to shake and then elevated above the pedestal. The pearls rose as well. The largest pearl put itself underneath the helmet, three golden laces appeared underneath it, the shortest pointed diagonally and the largest was between them. They looked like arms and a tail or body.
On the pearl with the helmet got a pair on glowing and beautiful light blue eyes with large eyelashes. It seemed to be female.
The remaining pearls circled around her.
Kirby and the party then remembered that picture in the pot, it was the being from them. They also remembered the statue on the old town when the being of divine pearls said:"Hello, mortals... After 400 years, your great ruler Monile is back! With all this new power, I will take all this planet... and you'll be the first targets that will feel it..."
And another battle started. Monile started by shooting her pearls towards the gang. They dodged them. Then her arms grew larger and she moved them across the battlefield trying to catch one of the party members. The quartet dodged by flying and ducking. Then her head separated from the helmet and her eyes disappeared and all the pearls started to move around the battlefield in different directions. Starry, Kirby and Meta Knight dodged skillfully, but Dedede got hit twice. The the seven pearls moved around the party. Starry shot one arrow to one of them, but nothing happened. Dedede hit other one and the same result. Kirby swung his broom and it hit the head, all the pearls stopped and Monile recovered her original shape. The team attacked. Starry shot a well charge star arrow. Meta Knight released a sword beam. Dedede did an uppercut. And Kirby spun with his broom making a dust tornado.
Monile rose her six pearls to the sky and three very dangerous light beams appeared. Those started to move around the battlefield, burning the floor. They did their best to dodged. Meta Knight noticed that the pearls were reflecting the sunlight and somehow make the light much more stronger. He then used his sword to reflect one of the beams, that beam hit the pearl creature, causing her great damage.
"Why didn't I took the mirror ability?" said Kirby regretting not choosing the sword or said ability.
Monile's pearls got closer to the battlefield and flew around again. They ended in a complex position. Suddenly from the hole of one of the walls, the one opposed to the entrance, a ray from the sun passed and hit one of the pearls, which reflect the light towards the pearls, each pearl reflect the ray in such complex way. The gang barely avoid. A cloud blocked the ray and pearls changed moved around and the ray reappeared. When the cloud blocked the ray. Kirby quickly hit Monile with his broom.
Her pearls turned black and dropped to the ground. Monile elevated and her head and helmet started to fracture. A blinding light emerged from those fissures. Her limbs started to disintegrate. And the being exploded.
After the explosion the orb remained there floating. Starry and the gang got closer. Starry stared at Kirby and said:"Thanks, Kirby..."
A/N: Finally finished! The adventure in Popstar had finally ended. Now it goes to the next chapter in which Starry lefts Popstar.
About Meta Knight having the ability to inhale and copy, I'm not way to sure if he can do it, but I think that it may be possible.
Until Next chapter!
