"Are you sure I can't come with you? I'll be extra good!"
"Sorry, Kirby. We're in a hurry, and I doubt this will take long anyway. We're just putting the Star Rod back where it's supposed to go. I'll see you again soon."
Magolor tried to reassure the child next to him as he packed his bag for the trip. Kirby had been very upset when he learned that he couldn't go on the mission and stalled them as much as possible. Meta Knight had made it very clear that the boy would not go, and Marx obviously did not want to babysit as well as explore on the knight's behalf. Marx had done all his packing the instant he woke up and had simply waited for his companions to get up. Taranza had trouble deciding what he wanted to bring, which caused the jester to eventually lose his temper and do half of the packing for him. Magolor decided to travel lightly, given that the trip should only be a day at most. His Warp Star could get him anywhere in mere minutes, so there was no need to take everything.
He paused to glance out of the window in their room. The morning sun was bright and warm, and the sky was clear. It promised to be a beautiful day. Magolor smiled. Maybe that's a good sign. Magolor was not quite ready for another big adventure, and he hoped this mission would be easily solved and put behind them. These simple days of fun and happiness had done wonders for his mind, and there were even times when he forgot about his ultimate goal of figuring out what brought him to Popstar. It was true that he wanted to know where he came from and why, but Magolor now had moments when he questioned the necessity of the answers. Now that he had a home and friends, desperation was no longer a driving force in his desires. However, when his thoughts wandered on quiet nights, there was nothing on his mind but questions. Why did the Lor Starcutter bring me here and keep me locked away? What have I left behind? If I knew, would I miss it? What is this crown, and what is it meant to be used for?"Hey, hey, hey! Wake up, daydreamer! Let's go figure out where the night-dreams are!"
Marx's harsh voice brought him back to reality, and Magolor quickly grabbed his bag. He gave a still sulking Kirby one last goodbye before he headed out the door with Marx and Taranza at either side of him. As they left the courtyard, passing knights and Waddle Dees waved to them. On the surface, everyone got along well, though Marx seriously doubted that was the case. Once they were free of the castle's walls, Magolor took his Warp Star from his bag, which caused to to grow large enough for all of them to grab and ride on. As optimistic as ever, Taranza shrieked and jumped onto the star, ready to begin his first big adventure outside the castle (that he knew of at least). Using his magic, he created some strong webbing in his hands using them to grab Marx and attach him to the Warp Star like an angry sticker.
"Hey, HEY! Don't do that!" The jester squirmed briefly before giving up. He knew that Taranza's intentions were to help, but it did not necessarily make him feel better.
Meanwhile, the spider bit back a giggle. "Sorry, Marx. I didn't think you would have any fun holding on with your teeth. Would you like me to hold you instead?"
"NO. One-hundred and fifty percent NO." Magolor laughed at his bickering companions and hopped onto the Warp Star, causing it to activate. None were prepared for the sudden boost of speed that shot them through the sky. Taranza screamed almost the entire time while Marx yelled and cheered, having the time of his life. As usual, Magolor preferred to keep his head down until they reached their destination. Thankfully, the Warp Star always knew exactly where he needed to go. The Halcandran opened his eyes when their pace slowed down enough for them to get off. Poor Taranza jumped off immediately, leaving Magolor to pry the jester off of their mode of transportation. Once all of them were on the ground, the star reduced in size, and Magolor quickly put it bag in his bag before it could fly off by itself. When all three were ready to begin, their gazes began to inspect the mystical Dream Spring.
-
Something clearly went wrong.
The air was stiff and tense, no different than a battlefield. The spring did not look much better than one. Though the waters were crystal clear and the elegantly sculpted fountain stood tall in the center, the grounds surrounding it were churned up. As they suspected, the Star Rod was missing. Scars decorating the ground lead to a large crater, larger than all three of them put together. Marx took the initiative to approach first, peering into the almost perfectly round hole in the ground. When he visibly stiffened, the other two quickly followed.
Within the crater was a glass-like sphere that had been cracked into two equal pieces. Smaller fragments were scattered around it. It was dark in color, a mix of blue and purple hues. Upon closer inspection, star-like patterns could be seen inside, but they had lost their light. The glassy surface was smudged with dirt and appeared to have a few cleanly drilled holes in it.
Taranza shivered while he looked at the broken thing. "W-what is this? It gives me the creeps!"
"Hmm... I've read about this thing." Marx muttered with a hint of discomfort. "It's a creature that can cause bad dreams and is super powerful. There are myths about him pretty much all over the place. A legend called it Nightmare. Right now, I would call it dead."
Such creatures always fascinated Marx, and he researched them every chance he got. The horrendous tales of Nightmare painted a picture of an unstoppable monster, capable of destroying the hardiest of minds. Yet, here lay its spherical form, lifeless as well as harmless. Not necessarily a bad thing... but it doesn't point to anything good either.
Magolor glanced at the area around them. "Maybe it was the cause of our problem. It took the Star Rod and someone defeated him. Do you see it laying around anywhere?"
"Take a closer look at the ground, Mag." Marx replied uneasily with his gaze now focused outside of the hole.
Magolor paused and looked closely at the area around the crater. It was then that he noticed what Marx had seen immediately. The scars in the dirt were claw marks, as if something large had been desperately escaping a vicious attacker. The lines dragged back into the hole, where the the broken Nightmare orb rested eternally.
Marx walked closer the the scratch marks and studied them carefully. "From the looks of it... Nightmare was injured, crashed, made a hole, and then got finished off by whatever was nearby. Then, that someone probably took the Star Rod. It's nowhere around here."
"If it was hurt before," Magolor began to reason, "then something could have been chasing it. It was running from something... Maybe trying to hide here."
This thought made Marx frown. "Well, then he almost made it. A dream fountain could have held and hidden a dream creature for as long as it wanted to hide."
"T-then it's still here!" Taranza cried out, becoming increasingly worried. "A horrible being strong enough to scare and defeat a legend is running around here somewhere with the Star Rod, and Meta Knight will have our heads if we don't do something about it!"
The jester silenced him with a glare. "Calm down, T. We don't have all the details yet. Let's just look around some more and get our facts and ideas straight... Then we can panic and throw in the towel."
They scattered about the area to look for more clues. Taranza was swimming through the waters of the spring and fountain to see if anything had been dropped while the others patrolled the shore. Within a few minutes, Magolor called them over to his side as he discovered a vital hint to the identity of their suspect. The waters of the spring left the grounds around it slightly moist, meaning that there were deposits of fresh mud. In one particular spot, Magolor had spotted a trail of several footprints. The first set was that of a large-pawed animal. The second resembled that of a metal boot, similar to what Meta Knight liked to wear, though it was clearly a different one. The impressions were deep, indicating that they were running fast, perhaps chasing each other. The trail disappeared in the grass, though the tracts pointed to some nearby forests.
"Looks like they lead to Vegetable Valley," Marx commented as his thoughts began to calculate their next move. "It's not far from Green Greens were Whispy Woods lives. That's a lot of ground to cover, though... There's a lake, forests, caves, open plains, and the crooks could be anywhere by now! These tracks are old. They could be on the other side of Popstar with the Star Rod!"
Taranza suddenly grinned widely. "Why don't we split up and search different areas at the same time! If we take too long, Meta Knight won't be able to keep all this a secret from the others. If someone comes out looking for us... t-they could run into the thieves!"
"Are you nuts?! We can't split up!" Marx immediately protested. "Magolor can't fight the crooks alone if he finds them!"
The spider frowned and put his head down. "Oh, right... I forgot."
The Halcandran's face heated up, and he argued in indignation, "H-hey! How do you know I can't fight? I've come this far, haven't I?"
His companions exchanged a glance, clearly unconvinced. Taranza patted Magolor on the back. "He's not trying to make you feel bad, but you barely survived your journey to the castle."
"Sorry, pal," Marx added with a goofy smile, "but you kind of only got to the castle by being kidnapped. Tracking down our suspects is going to be a lot harder. Don't get your suit in a twist, Mago. You're just not much of a fighter. We can think of a better plan, anyway. Brain usually beats brawn, right?"
Magolor did not respond and chose to simmer in silence. I can't believe they said that! I-I'm not that weak! Sure, I'm no expert, but... He had not wanted this mission to turn into a big deal. He did not want to have to fight again, but hearing someone say that he was not strong enough to even try... Magolor looked beyond the group into the forest. Meta Knight's advice resurfaced in his mind. If I could find someone to teach me how to use the crown properly, I bet they wouldn't think so little of me. Yes! I'll just prove it to them! I'll search this area myself, maybe figure out some simple moves, then they can't say I'm not strong enough. Marx won't be so smug then, I bet! With his mind made up, he glanced at the others. Taranza and Marx had fallen back to bickering. They were so absorbed with their ideas that they did not noticed Magolor slip away and quietly head off towards Vegetable Valley.
I'll show them, he thought to himself darkly. If they want proof that I'm strong, I'll give it to them! We'll find the Star Rod together, catch the criminals, and Marx will have to admit that I can take care of myself. They won't doubt me again.He put on more speed, growing more eager the farther he got from the spring.
Given the brightness of the morning sun, Magolor did not notice the slight glow emanating from the crown, growing stronger in tune with growing ambition.
LEVEL 1 VEGETABLE VALLEY