I don't own Kirby.
This chapter kind of just drawls on too with description and stuff...sorry about that.
"It was a trap," Kitsu whispered hollowly, her smile absent. "They weren't after me…or Kirby."
"They wanted Meta Knight-kyou?" Fumu frantically asked, eyes wide with aggravation. "Why?"
The magician didn't answer that question. "Krasus got him. His nasty magic is all over the place," Even her baton bobbed with displeasure from where it hovered next to her head.
There were signs of a brief struggle. Three prints of impact on the cliff marked where Bun, Blade, and Sword had been slammed violently. A small bit of scorched cloth from a midnight blue cape lay on the ground. There was a scruff mark where a metal shoe might have dug in, and even a few scattered drops of glistening demon blood—suggesting Meta Knight had gone as far as to punch Krasus a few times, in self-defense. But in the end, without his Galaxia, it was evident and inevitable the valorous knight had lost his battle.
Kirby landed, hopping down from his Warp Star, Galaxia in hand, but the pointy green hat that marked his transformation gone. He had easily defeated Krako.
"Poyo?" Kirby asked worriedly, glancing around at the unconscious forms of Bun and the apprentices. He frowned as he saw who was missing. "Poyo? Poyo! M-Meto…Nai…to." The pink puff's infant tongue wrapped clumsily around the knight's name.
"He's gone. They took him," Fumu said blankly, the panic having not yet settled in. Kirby dropped Galaxia in horror. The blade hit the rocky ground with a mournful clang.
Kitsu knelt in a spot where the dirt had been stirred funny. "Krasus teleported out," She reported grimly. "He's probably already at Nightmare's base now." She sighed softly and glumly. "Meta Knight…"
There was dead silence, broken by the sound of Sword and Blade stirring at the sound of their lord's name.
"Are you two okay?" Fumu asked, checking them over for injuries.
"Meta Knight-kyou!" Sword shouted desperately, looking around. Gravely, the girl shook her head.
"Damnit! We failed him," Blade slammed his mailed fist angrily on the ground, waking Bun. The boy received the grim news as well.
"What do we do?" Bun asked in a whisper.
"Poyo poyo!" Kirby said angrily.
"Go after them?" Fumu did not even need to guess his meaning. "But it's too dangerous."
Kitsu rose and stretched slightly. The cheerful smile was magically back on her face. "Kirby's right. Why not? Who's up for raiding Nightmare's base?"
"It's…" Bun stuttered, at a complete loss for words.
"Poyo," Kirby supplemented, awe shining in his blue eyes.
"Amazing," Fumu managed, after a few moments of struggling for a word. The majestic battleship in front of them was just as large, if not larger than DeDeDe's castle. Shining with newly polished metal, brilliant purple-caped plates decorated it, serving as additional armor. A large turret hummed on the upmost center level of the middle, surrounded by additional guns. The neck of the ship extended outwards and ended at an oversized, most curious replication of Meta Knight's mask.
They were in what seemed like a massive underground garage. Even the giant warship in front of them left plenty of space to the ceiling.
"The Halberd," Sword said softly. "We've aided Meta Knight-kyou in building it secretly for the day we would strike back at Nightmare. I never imagined that we would have to use this to rescue him…"
"Come on," Blade said, averting his eyes from the ship's front and the reminder of the missing knight. As they boarded the massive battleship in a single file, Bun spotted the same bright orange vessel that Kitsu had arrived on. It was docked on top of the Halberd like a koala on its mother.
"Is that your ship?" He asked the owner. She nodded.
"I built the Firebird a while ago," Kitsu said, a hint of nostalgia entering her voice. She giggled and said in mock resentment, "Meta Knight so stole my design for the weaponry placement."
Like the Halberd—or rather vice versa, if what Kitsu claimed was true—the Firebird had a larger central turret on its back, with smaller lasers cocked at the sides. It had been fully repaired since its unfortunate encounter with the ground from a great height; the front of the vessel was shaped like a bird's beak, the tinted glass of the cockpit blazing like furious eyes. There were ridges on the wings where boosters were sheathed, looking like sharp metal feathers. Designs shone brilliantly; there was a yellow star insignia on the right wing and what looked like a running fox design on the other.
Bun tried to decide which ship was "better", but then realized they weren't in the same category to be compared. The Halberd was a giant, invincible star-destroying behemoth while the Firebird was a stealth cruiser, built for light, dodgy combat at most.
With everyone on board, the hatch that served as the entrance to the Halberd lowered slowly with a vroom. Suddenly, there was rather dull thud, as if something heavy had landed on the rooftop.
"What was that?" Bun asked nervously. Sword and Blade exchanged looks, their hands creeping to the hilts of their swords.
A clear voice rang out. "Not so fast! You aren't going without us!"
Startled, Blade's hand lifted from the lever which was closing the door and the metal structure halted in its lowering.
"We heard Meta Knight got himself kidnapped," A different, confident voice laughed. "We wanna help you bust him out, too."
"That…" Fumu recognized the tone immediately. "Knuckle Joe?"
"Joe!" Kirby echoed in delight.
The laughter rang out. "The one and only."
"I hope you don't mind that we squeeze another ship on board," A familiar female's voice said—that was the first voice.
"Silica? You're here too?"
"We will rescue Meta Knight-kyou no matter what!"
Even Bun would recognize the third voice. "Dakonyo-san!"
Blade's hand pressed the lever the other way and the metal hatch rose, revealing the three.
The old soldier gave them a salute which Kirby mirrored cheerfully.
Silicia flashed them a grin. "I left my spaceship on your roof by the way. Next to that other one that's already there. Are we ready to leave?"
"How did you get in here?" Sword murmured, befuddled.
"We have our ways," Knuckle Joe said with a smirk as he rubbed his nonexistent nose. He glanced at Kitsu. "Who're you?"
"No one~," The magician sang cheerfully, as she munched on chocolate she had gotten from who-knows-where. The fighter gave her a suspicious look as Dakonyo gave a gasp of shock.
"Kitsu-sama!" He cried reverently, like he was addressing a goddess.
"Don't call me that!" Kitsu cried in the same tone of voice, only with her customary cat-like smile.
"My lady, we thought you were lost!"
"I did get lost!" She laughed. "But now I am found. Isn't that great? Have some chocolate!"
She broke a piece off from her candy bar and aimed it expertly at the old soldier's mouth.
Blade shook his head briefly as his hand pushed down on the lever once more, closing the door completely. He pressed another button and there were metallic whirling noises, like a large platform was being lowered. Bun craned his head out a window and saw the orange tip of the Firebird slowly dip out of sight, like it was being withdrawn into the depths of the ship it was parked on. The same thing was happening to a silver ship next to it.
"Poyo," said Kirby, in fascination, his face pressed to a window.
"Preparing for takeoff," Sword sighed, trying not to look at the empty spot where the captain of the Halberd would be standing. The ceiling to the massive garage abruptly opened and moonlight seeped in. The night sky twinkled far above, the stars glistening like tiny lanterns. Soon they would be among those stars, Fumu realized. Her heart fluttered like a small bird within her and the weight of Kirby's shrunken Warp Star, which she had brought and kept in her pocket, felt quite heavy.
"Engaging engine."
There was a loud roar that settled into a low purr as the floor vibrated slightly. Gradually, the ship began to rise.
"Don't activate the boosters until we're high enough," Sword called to the ship's other operator. "We don't need to wake anyone up in the town up, and have questions asked."
"Yeah."
"Won't we be missed in the morning anyways though?" Fumu asked, removing her hand from the Warp Star. Kirby's source of power felt rather warm in her pocket.
"Hopefully, we'll be back by then with Meta Knight-kyou. If we're later…then, we'll make up some sort of excuse." Sword did not bother to state what would happen should they not return.
The hole in the ground which marked the entrance to the secret garage closed. Soon it had vanished, like it had never been. The town shrunk and shrunk until the buildings were like tiny toys far below. Soon the clouds obstructed any view of the ground.
"Activating boosters."
With that, there was a brief metallic snarl as said structures unfolded into position and the Halberd rushed into space. Seats then popped from the ground, out of nowhere.
"Sit and buckle up," Blade instructed, as he demonstrated. "We're going into hyperdrive."
Everyone obeyed, except for Kitsu who stood calmly, watching a distant planet shimmer from the window. Hesitantly, Fumu called her name.
"Hmm~?" The magician didn't turn. "I'm fine. You can start."
The knight apprentices did not contest with her, and so Fumu relented.
"Activating hyperdrive," Blade reported as he pressed a large button with his entire fist. The Halberd made a long whining noise as it shuddered as though bracing itself, like a horse about to charge into an iron wall. And then the black space speckled with stars outside vanished into a whirling rainbow of colors. A massive force pressed down on the passengers as space itself seemed to part aside for the ship to shoot through. The heaviness of the air forced Fumu's head down, as she gritted her teeth, breathing suddenly becoming rather uncomfortable. Kitsu merely remained in the same position, seeming completely unbothered.
Just as abruptly, the force vanished as the ship skidded to a halt. The force jerked Fumu in her seat and would have set her hurtling outwards if not for the firm buckles secured around her body. The window outside was completely dark, not even a single star illuminating the pitch black void. Fumu wondered if they had made a mistake and instead warped into the interior of a black hole.
"We're here," Blade said, showing no sign of strain in his voice as the seatbelts released him.
"From here we go in the smaller ships," Sword interjected. "The Halberd is powerful and our shields could probably easily last even against an army of enemy ships. But they probably already know we're coming after Meta Knight. It'll be easier to pull off a surprise attack. The Firebird especially is built so it's almost impossible to detect."
"It is?" Kitsu asked, a decidedly fake blank smile on her face.
Sword ignored her and continued. "We've parked behind a nearby planet's moon. Its shadow is completely eclipsing us from the nearest sun—the Halberd won't be found that way." There was a pause. "I suppose we split up now."
The Firebird was slightly larger than Silica's ship. Kitsu, Kirby, Fumu, Bun, and Dakonyo boarded the orange fighter while Silica, Sword, Blade and Joe climbed into the silver vessel. Metallic grumbling sounded as platforms lifted the two ships outside so they sat once more on the Halberd's rooftop.
As soon as she sat down on the pilot's chair in the cockpit, Kitsu seemed to perk up even further. "Wow I haven't flown this thing properly for a long time," She chuckled. "I might have forgotten how!"
"Forgotten how?" Fumu asked nervously. The others in the ship, did not seem to be concerned over the statement though.
"Hmm hmm~," The magician hummed cheerfully as she flipped some switches. "Preparing for takeoff. And here we go."
The engine murmured into life, more of a soft sigh rather than the louder growling of the Halberd's engine. With ease, the Firebird smoothly lifted from its mothership and took off, followed closely by its silver companion.
Sword's voice sounded over the crystal-clear communication system. "We should be drawing near. They do have radar, so cloak yourself."
Kitsu tilted her head as though curious at what that might mean and for a moment Fumu feared that she would not do it, thus exposing them to Nightmare. However, just as quickly, the magician tapped a button flippantly. A small screen read "CLOAK MODE ON", and the engines settled down into near silence.
They rounded the bend of the moon which hid the Halberd, revealing the massive floating base of Holy Nightmare. It looked like something out of a 3-D video game. Gleaming buildings lay in strange rows like some sort of block puzzle, a huge single expansive city the size of a planet, in the middle of space.
"Holy cow…" Bun whispered.
"Holy Nightmare," His sister corrected.
"Poyo…"
A small siren sounded exactly twice and the same screen which flashed their status of cloak mode suddenly read "ENEMY SHIP DETECTED. IDENTIFY?"
Fumu and Bun gasped.
"Yes please," Kitsu said cheerily, as if talking to her ship. The screen shifted as though in response. "IDENTIFYING…ENEMY SHIP AHEAD. IDENTITY: DESTRAYER, MODEL A-34."
"Destrayers huh," The fox puffball mused. Sword's half-panicked voice cried out. "Destrayers ahead!"
"Hmm hmm~"
"We won't be able to take them! The Halberd would, but my ship's too light," Silica shouted.
"You're cloaked, aren't you?" Kitsu pointed out, calmly.
"They're the newest model and are sure to be equipped with the latest detectors. They'll probably…"
Suddenly, a green-blue laser streaked past the Firebird and hit the silver vessel, rocking it violently.
"Poyo!" cried Kirby in alarm.
"We're hit!" Sirens from the other ship sounded over the communication system. "We won't be able to put up a fight against them!"
"Damn them!" Knuckle Joe snarled.
"How many?" Daknonyo yelled.
"Five!"
"We're retreating!" Sword cried out. "Back to the Halberd. We have no choice but to break in with brute force."
"You do that," Kitsu said cheerfully, as she steered the Firebird gently, to avoid a few laser bursts. "We'll go on ahead."
The massive disk-shaped warships flew past them, chasing after the battered silver vessel. The Firebird glided smoothly between them in the other direction, but it was completely unnoticed. For a ship painted such an outrageous and noticeable color, Fumu thought, it had extremely sophisticated stealth mechanisms.
"Is it okay to leave them like that?" Bun asked, concerned.
"The Halberd can easily wipe out five measly Destrayers," was Kitsu's airy reply. "The problem is if its swarmed by all of Nightmare's battleships…which is a lot. Then it'll probably be struck down." All of this was said in such a calm, matter-a-factly tone of voice that Fumu wondered not for the first time, if the medic had any fear at all. "Meta Knight will be angry we trashed his ship, but the point is to rescue him, and they've just provided us with a good diversion."
As she said all of this, more Destrayers streaked past. The alarm had been raised in Holy Nightmare. Already the dull sounds of massive structures exploding and lasers firing could be heard behind them. The others had evidently made it safely back to Meta Knight's battleship and begun plowing through the enemies.
Expertly, Kitsu guided the Firebird downwards into the strange artificial metropolis. Massive cannons had been unfolded from the top of some of the buildings. They fired angrily into space at the approaching Halberd.
The small orange cruiser tilted placidly into a long tunnel without any trouble. It glided downwards past many levels before touching down on…a landing pad.
"Are you seriously putting the ship in the middle of a ship hangar?" Fumu asked in disbelief at the simplicity of the magician's thoughts. "It'll be found in no time!"
Kitsu shrugged cheerfully. "You know what they say. To hide a tree, put it in a forest."
Fumu looked outwards and found a multitude of similarly-sized vessels parked around them. The Firebird, even as brightly colored as it was, blended in perfectly as just another denizen of the parking lot. Kitsu stood up from her seat and stretched briefly before pressing a button which caused the roof of the cockpit to slide open and a metal ladder to be lowered.
She climbed halfway up before turning back, amber eyes twinkling. "Well? Coming?"
Boring chapter. Sorry about that.
Why did I pull the typical and overused Meta-Knight-gets-kidnapped! storyline? Well, it's certainly the fastest way to speed a story into its climax and stuff like that.
So here we are. Fun stuff.
Meta Knight returns in the next chapter for those of you suffering from seperation anxiety for him. XD