A/N: Originally, this chapter was combined with chapter six but chapter six was pushing seven pages. I want my chapters to be somewhat even so the story doesn't get all choppy. The next chapter is the epilogue. Thank you all my reviewers! I love a good review!
-Chloe
"Well, well. Looks like I got a couple varmints in my mitts." I heard a—horrible—Southern accent from behind.
"Let go of me you fat lard of a penguin!" Mac shouted next to me, kicking and screaming to no avail.
"It looks like we have a struggler in our midst." Dedede sneered. Mac called him a pretty dirty word. "What was that?" His grip grew tighter, and we cried out of pain.
"Let them go, or I swear…" Carter was beyond furious. He was actually turning red.
Mac cussed him out, causing Dedede to yank us.
"Mac, shut up!" I screamed at her. Her eyes were dark cobalt, and, I swear, they flashed.
I heard a familiar roar, one of a lion. A flash of red streaked towards Carter and Meta Knight. Fire lion and Meta Knight began to fight. Carter watched them, and suddenly he was dragged back in the shadows.
"Carter!" I only got a muffled response.
I turned to Dedede now, or tried to, as he was still holding my shirt. "Why are you doing this?" I could hear graveness in my voice. Jeez, I'm such a drama queen.
"Ain't it obvious? Nightmare promises me free demon beasts for my patronage," He pronounced patronage wrong; it sounded like 'patt-troh-nash'.
"You said patronage wrong," He tugged me and Mac again, "Jerk," I prayed he didn't hear that.
"You idiot, after Nightmare obliterates us, there'll be demon beasts slithering and crawling everywhere," Mac told him. He looked confused. Mac threw an expression that said 'plan X'. Plan X means to distract the target, and then strike when the time is right.
"Yeah, Dedede, besides, Nightmare will just kill you or make you his slave when he doesn't need you anymore. What good is that?" I told him the truth. He looked confused again.
"Or… a demon beast will hide under your bed. Waiting until the time is right to seduce you…" Then she whispered something in his ear—or whatever he uses to hear—that made him visibly quiver.
"Now!" Mac shouted. I brought my foot up and struck his head.
Dedede let go of us and yelped in pain. As soon as Mac regained her balance, she unleashed a can of whoopass on him. Things got a bit graphic; I turned my head away.
"Serves you right, dumbass," Mac seethed at him with a beet-red face. I started laughing.
"Poyo!" Kirby shouted. He was trapped in a weathered hand. One that looked like it endured many years of existence.
"Kirby!" I started to run to him, but Mac restrained me.
"Don't, Vivian. We can't let Nightmare get you, too."
"But he'll hurt Kirby! We cannot just sit here and do nothing!"
"Meta Knight will help him," She tried to reassure me, "Come on let's go free Carter."
We ran through the shadows Carter was dragged into. I found him bound and gagged. Mac and I untied him.
"Do you have any idea who tied you up?" I asked him.
"Nope. Let's hope we don't encounter it again."
We heard sword slashes, a struggling Kirby, and an explosion.
Meta Knight's frame was rapidly expanding and shrinking, like he was breathing heavily. He turned to me.
"Where is the warpstar?" His voice whipped out quickly and harshly, like he was under great anger and stress. I almost didn't catch his words.
Automatically, my hand went to my back pocket. I felt my hand graze a smooth, cool tip.
Weird, I thought to myself. I really have no idea how the warpstar materialized in my pocket—but I was grateful for it.
"Foolish. The warpstar won't do you any good." A keenly, unisex-sounding (I didn't know if it was a man or woman's voice) said. The voice sent small tremors along my spine.
I looked up at the creepy hands holding Kirby in a vice-grip. Fleetingly glancing over at the knight, I started to see his shape blur.
The dark streak darted towards the hands of Nightmare, and a gold flash seemed to strike the hands. They let go of Kirby, he started to tumble towards the floor. Without really thinking, I ran to him and caught him.
The figure who got slashed by Galaxia didn't even yelp in pain. I looked up to Nightmare. He looks just like he did in Kirby's Adventure, except twice as frightening.
"Holy-," I didn't even want to register what Mac—and Carter—said.
I turned back to Nightmare, only to see his hands reaching for me. I could feel the coldness radiating from them. Kirby and I seemed too shocked to move. My eyes were squeezed tight.
"Vivian!" Carter bellowed at me. My eyes snapped back open, only to see Meta Knight's graceful—and deadly—sword attacks fending off those vile, ancient hands.
Hands clamped down on my shoulders and roughly dragged me away.
"Vivian, didn't you think about running? I could've lost you back there. You don't realize how important you are to us, to me. You don't realize that." Well here I was, with a kid confessing his feelings for me. I didn't know if I was pleased, I still had that weird feeling in my stomach. I was irritated however; Carter had to tell me this here, of all places.
My hands were up in exasperation. "Carter! Did you have to tell me this here, when all hell is breaking loose?"
"Yes, yes I did."
"Men," I muttered.
"Break it up you two," Mac cut in to our argument.
"Gladly," I said, a little too harshly.
"How adorable," Nightmare sneered at us, "isn't love just disastrous?" Great, now we have a sadist commenting on us. His mouth doesn't even move, for the love of holiness. Worst of all, he said love.
Meta Knight was still standing next to him. His fleeting movements were now paused—though his stance was still tensed, ready for fighting.
Nightmare fixed his gaze on Meta Knight.
"Well, well, well, a Star-Warrior, and a veteran on top of that. This should be fun." With that Nightmare started to attack him with stars. They were shooting from his hands. I remembered seeing this attack, except it was on a television screen.
Meta Knight may be fifty thousand years old, but he sure knew how to kick major butt. It was too bad his attacks weren't working.
We all sounded like a bunch of cheerleaders, as we were all chanting encouragement to Meta Knight. Kirby's 'poyos' stood out the most.
"Enough!" Our enemy shouted—if you can count it as shouting, his mouth didn't move. Then I heard the most horrid noise human ears have ever experienced.
Nightmare let out a piercing wail. Like a screeching chalkboard to the tenth power. His mouth was even open. I guess this is what he uses his vocal cords for. Everyone's hands flew to their ears. Except Meta Knight's; he was holding his sword in one hand.
I was on the brink of dizziness until the screech ended.
"Meta Knight!" Mac's voice shouted. I could barely tell it was her voice; there was a strange ringing in my ears. I looked over to the knight and gasped.
His eyes were dull yellow, he was unconscious.
"Vivian, the warpstar!" Mac shouted at me. I all but forgot about the little star in my back pocket.
Swiftly, I pulled out the star. I threw it to Kirby.
Mac started to shout to Kirby, telling him to swallow the star. He obliged.
"What the-" Carter started as Kirby began to copy the warpstar.
The light faded, and Kirby was holding the Star Rod.
I slapped my forehead. "What the heck? Why didn't I think of that?"
"Because, Vi. You're so observant of the little things you miss everything that stares you in the face." Mac answered me.
"Thanks, Mac." My voice had heavy amounts of sarcasm laced in it.
"No! The Star Rod! How did you know my weakness?" Nightmare questioned us.
"Because you have a T.V. show, dude." Mac told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Curse this television."
"Kirby, can you please kick his ass before we have to hear him gripe about an anime meant for children?" Kirby nodded to Mac as if he understood every word.
Kirby started to do his thing. Stars burst from the Star Rod, wrapping around Nightmare's, erm, nightmarish form. They constricted him until he started to scream again.
Fatigue hit me, and I started to faint. The last thing I noticed was Meta Knight's body was gone.
***
"Vivian? Yo, Vivian, get up! Come on!" Mac started to shake me—as she usually would to wake me up.
My eyelids fluttered open. The first thing I saw was Mac, Carter, and Kirby squished together above me.
"Come on guys. Back off." I said to them. The looks they gave me were scaring me.
"Back off? Do you remember what happened? Nightmare's dead and gone! Kirby kicked his arse!" Mac squealed excitedly next to me.
My dream's events came rushing back to me.
"Oh!" I squeaked, which was really out of character for me.
"Poyo, poyo! Veevee!" Kirby blurted next to me. He squeezed me tightly.
"I'm proud of you Kirby! You are a great little Star Warrior." I said to him, which made him beam with pride.
"Aww," Carter said sarcastically. I swatted the side of his head.
"I'm going to take that as a friendly smack."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I told him. He smiled more, which—frankly—looked better on his face than his ever-present smirk.
I just remembered Meta Knight, whose ears are probably bleeding to death.
"Where's Meta Knight?" I directed my question at Mac. She jerked her head towards the floor. I stood up from my laying position, and saw Dedede and everyone's favorite knight zonked out on the floor.
"Umm, Mac?"
"I got it." She walked into the kitchen. I heard running water, and Mac came back with two glasses of water. I could see the condensation taking place.
"Wake up!" Mac yelled, as she poured the water on the king and knight.
Meta Knight's eyes went from dull yellow, to bright canary, then to red.
Dedede simply looked pissed.
"Hey you good for nothin' kid! I can have you jailed for that little stunt!"
Mac ignored him "Did you enjoy the wake-up call, Sir Meta Knight?"
"Yes, Mackenzie, very much I did." Do my ears deceive me? Meta Knight was being bitingly sarcastic. Whoa. And in grammar that makes him sound like a Spaniard who is an early nineteenth-century vampire. Double whoa.
"I'm glad," She flashed a beautiful smile, showing her teeth. "Anyone got any champagne? I bet Meta Knight has some! This calls for celebration!" Everyone rolled their eyes, even Kirby.
A/n: Epilogue is next readers! Sorry my Nightmare is a random mix of the anime version and the video game version. The song that was running in my head while writing this was Take A Bow by Muse. Not Rihanna, Muse I tells ya MUSE! It was pretty epic and it fits Nightmare pretty well. Read and review! Pretty please?
