DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kirby or the Kirby's Dream Land 2 story line—I'm just elaborating on it. Kirby and pals belong to Nintendo, Hal Laboratories, etc., and I am writing this for entertainment, not profit, OK? If it is illegal for me to do this, let me know because I'm not really sure. ^_^;
A/N: Gee, that disclaimer sounds really familiar… ^^;; OK, I've FINALLY gotten a break in my schedule, so I'm here to dedicate this chapter to my two faithful readers, DestinyLord7381 and abcxyz. lol You know, abcxyz, there was no need to apologize—I understand perfectly how it is to find time for things like this. I mean, look how long it took me to finish this chapter! ^^;; Although, I kind of wish you'd give me a way to contact you w/o having to write a new chapter so that I can thank you more personally… :P I really appreciate everyone's reviews, and I hope this story is helping anyone who has been having trouble with this game. ^_~ Now (FINALLY), here is Chapter Eight. Enjoy! ^_^
Battle of a Lifetime
Chapter Seven: Sparkys Begin to Fly!—Part Two
Last time, Kirby found himself in SEVERAL life threatening predicaments, from endless chasms to more lethal Propeller Bombs, and even a wall with the sole purpose of crushing everything in its path! But with the help of a mysterious stranger in the third area, Coo and Kirby have made an all too important decision as to which of Kirby's three loyal comrades must accompany him next on his perilous journey…
Coo and Kirby flew past the door by the ground, past the door on the high pillar, and through the door that was situated in a shallow pool of water. They met up with Masher, another enemy similar to Blade, but with a spiked mace instead of a sword. He "greeted" them with a scratchy, country accent.
"Well, it's 'bout time! Me and Rex here," he stated, pointing to his spiked club, "was gettin' real bored just a-sittin' here guardin' this sack. Now we gets ta have some real fun!"
Before Kirby could even react, Masher swung "Rex" around his head to gain momentum and hurled it at Coo! Fortunately, Coo foresaw the attack and flew upwards as the mace whizzed by just inches below. Masher had just enough time to let out a few unmentionable words before one of Coo's Cutter feathers knocked him out. The bag opened and out wiggled none other than Kine!
"Kine! Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you're OK!" Kirby cried before giving him a hug. Coo flew over and joined the happy moment.
"What happened back at Iceberg? How did you get free?" Kirby inquired as Coo listened intently.
"Well, after you left, I figured that one of Dark Matter's minions would try to capture me and put me in one of these sacks. So, I figured, 'Maybe while they're trying to carry me away, I can escape.'" He paused and took a deep breath. "After a while, a Bronto Burt spotted me and alerted the… um, what's the word?"
"Authorities?" Coo offered.
"Yeah! That's it! OK, so then I just thought that maybe Sir Kibble or, at worst, a Miniboss would try to take me away, and I was all ready to squirm and wiggle out of anyone's grasp." Kine then seemed to pale. "But when the Bronto came back, he didn't have anyone like that with him; it was a… *gulp* Propeller Bomb!" Kine squeezed his eyes shut at the thought. Coo looked sympathetic as Kirby's face fell.
"Oh, Kine, I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have left you there by yourself…" he trailed off.
"It wasn't your fault, Kirby—I mean, if you'd stayed, they'd have caught you, too, and it would have been over. Being stuffed into a bag isn't so bad when you know your best buddy is on his way to get you." Kirby smiled.
"Thanks, pal. I'm glad you have as much faith in me as I have in you."
"Um… I'd hate to break up this happy reunion," Coo interrupted, "but I think it's time to get going. And you guys will have plenty of time to talk while you're kicking the tails off those baddies!"
"But what about you? What if they send a Propeller after you as well?" Kirby asked.
"Don't worry—capturing myself worked so well, I might just do it again… it's better than flapping my wings off trying to look for you."
"But—"
"No 'buts' about it. I'm a big bird now—I'll be fine," Coo reassured him.
"OK, Coo. You're probably right." He turned to Kine. "Shall we go?"
"You bet!"
Kine took Kirby into his mouth once more and they exited the room, Coo flying west while Kine and Kirby went east to continue the journey. Then they came upon the reason Kirby thought it would be best to be with Kine—water. Kine bounded up to the edge of the pond and splashed right in. Seeing some stars, they grabbed them before jumping out on the other side. Unfortunately, they didn't expect three Kabus to appear from nowhere and tackle them.
"Ouch! Where did THOSE come from?" Kine cried. And if that wasn't bad enough… a Propeller Bomb had decided to join them in the ramming fest!
"Quick, Kine, look up there!"
He looked where Kirby was pointing as he was bounding away from the dangerous minion and saw Waddle Dees drifting with Floatys.
"Jump so I can suck one up! We'll teach that sorry excuse for a helicopter who's boss."
Kine did so, and neither Waddle Dee nor Floaty the Drifter knew what hit them. They acquired the Parasol ability and turned to face the Propeller… but it was gone.
"Hm, I guess it gave up," mused Kine. He turned around again to find the Propeller Bomb charging straight at him! But he quickly used Parasol power, and a red-and-white striped umbrella popped out of his mouth just in time to shield him and Kirby from the tear-shaped enemy.
The Propeller just kept pushing against the parasol with all its might, trying to break through it to put Kine where Dark Matter wanted him: away from that meddling pink puff, Kirby!
Kirby was behind the umbrella, helping out his fish friend, when suddenly, the Propeller just couldn't keep it up—and finally self-destructed from exhaustion.
Breathing sighs of relief, Kine and Kirby continued their mission. They got rid of a few Waddle Dees and Bronto Burts before they arrived at the next door.
Here, they found even more water! And also quite a few Squishy Squids leaping around hoping to hit them. Avoiding the jumpy jellyfish, Kine leaped into the water and grabbed a delicious Maxim Tomato underneath the platform they had just been on, restoring all energy. Kine and Kirby continued swimming, avoiding the painful bubbles of more Glunks and the unexpected attacks of Kabus. Soon they came to three mysterious pipes.
"Hey, Kirby? What do you suppose these are for?"
Kirby had just opened his mouth to reply when out from each pipe like a charmed cobra came a slithery little creature called Elieel. The ones in the end pipes just stared at our heroes, but the one in the center vaulted itself right at them! Fortunately, Kine ducked just in time to watch the snake-like creature just bound away.
Then they came to what seemed to be a maze of water. Of course, Kine found absolutely no harm in this…
"C'mon, Kirby. How bad can it be? Besides, I'm the best swimmer in DreamLand, remember? It'll be fun!"
"Well, it seems to be the only way we can go… so I guess we don't have a choice," Kirby finally acceded.
Kine leaped right in, not even heeding the pipes that tried to force them into sharp spikes on opposite walls. Kine looked up and saw a way out of the water, and decided to leap out and take a look. To his and Kirby's surprise, there was a door!
Inside, it was dark, but Kirby could sense danger. Suddenly, the whole room lit up as a Sparky tried to use its spark attack to hurt them, and Kine and Kirby could see they were not alone. Behind them was a Rocky, and on a block above them, a Sir Kibble.
"Well, you remember the #1 rule about dark rooms, don't you, Kine?"
"Um… what's that again?"
"Always light 'em up so you can see! Get that Sparky!"
Kine released the Parasol star and inhaled Sparky, revealing a light bulb that lit up the room even more than Sparky's attack. They destroyed the rest of the baddies, and a door appeared in the upper left (well, their left, our right) corner of the room… but they could also see a door in the other corner hidden by the shadows.
"Which one first, Kine?"
"Uh… the first one?"
O_o;; "Well, yeah, but which one do you want it to be?"
"I just said—the first one! The one we saw first!" Kine seemed a little perturbed.
^^;; "Oh… hehe, sorry, Kine… OK, we'll go there." (A/N: Woohoo! Pathetic, attempted humor!)
In this door were three stars leading up to a Maxim Tomato that blocked yet another door that led them back outside the first one.
"I'm confused…" Kine whimpered.
But they went back in and tried the hidden door to see what was there. And there were three extra lives leading back to the same door as the stars did…
"Now I'm REALLY confused…" Kine whined.
"Don't worry, Kine. I think that's all. Let's get going."
Kine jumped back into the water and continued the maze, trying to use Spark to break some Star Blocks that guarded the way to three more stars, but couldn't. He had to lose the power, suck up the blocks, grab the stars, and then go back to the first door to get Spark power again. Needless to say, his confusion level went up considerably… but Kirby was there to help, so he got over it and completed the maze to the very last door.
Suddenly, everything was very dry. Leaping up the rocky cliff, Kine and Kirby made their way to the final door, destroying Broom Hatters along the way. But just when they were about to meet open air, what should they find but a sleeping Propeller… AGAIN.
"You know, I'm getting REALLY sick of those things…" Kine growled.
"Me, too," Kirby replied, "but I have an idea." He whispered something to Kine, who giggled, and then jumped up to shock a Broom Hatter. Just as the Propeller Bomb woke up from the noise and attacked, Kine unveiled another light bulb. The Propeller tried with all its might to break the bulb and get to Kine as Kine tried with all his might to keep the electricity flowing to destroy the baddy. But the Propeller was no match for Kine's power, and it exploded on the spot. Kine and Kirby made their way up past a few Gordos and Scarfys before entering the final door.
In door #4 (Kirby: *grumbles about game shows*), our heroes found themselves upon a rocky cliff with nowhere to go but over the gaps. Only tall, unsteady rock formations gave them somewhere to go, and Bronto Burts were EVERYWHERE! Kine jumped to the first platform, but was frightened by a Bronto and slipped. Expecting to lose a life, he and Kirby were surprised to find themselves on a platform they hadn't seen! Looking behind them, they saw more that lead to a cave in the cliff. Of course, Kine's curiosity had to see what was in it, and he just about fainted when he saw what his curiosity got him into—once again, not for the first time, he was face-to-face with a blinkin' Propeller!
"AAAHH!! Just how many of thmmmphhph!!" Kine cried before Kirby covered his mouth.
"Just zap it with Spark, Kine—I can see a star behind it!" Kine did so, and they grabbed the star before continuing. They leaped over the cliffs and ledges, avoiding several dozen Brontos, until they spotted the next door. Unfortunately, it was also guarded by our favorite little enemy…
O_o;; "Wow, those Propeller Bombs sure are common around here," Kirby mused quietly. Kine only sighed.
"It's funny… the first time we ran into them, we were scared to death," Kine whispered. "Now they're just getting annoying." He jumped up and sent a light bulb rocketing into the sleeping enemy. It woke up with a jolt (haha, bad pun ^_^) and looked around angrily. Spotting our heroes, it charged straight at them, intending to send Kine to a Miniboss room. But by now, Kine and Kirby knew how to take care of the pests, and Kine attacked it with a light bulb just before collision. The Propeller Bomb couldn't handle the high-voltage energy and did just what a bomb is supposed to do: it exploded. Then Kirby and Kine jumped up to the next ledge and entered the door.
They found themselves in another Miniboss room, with the usual bag hanging and writhing from the ceiling—but the Miniboss himself was definitely new…
"Ar, there be the ones what cause the Lord Dark Matter so much pain—now I gets to show you what real pain be!" he cried. He looked like an overgrown Gordo—a black ball with two eyes and pointy spikes covering his body.
"Who does this guy think he is, Long John Silver?" Kirby whispered to Kine.
"Ah! Don't mention that place! My Uncle Karl went there once, and he never came back…" Kirby only gave him a puzzled look.
But the Miniboss was not amused and felt he should put these "hooligans" in their place. "Grr, no, ye scurvy seaslime! I be Captain Stitch, and I got me orders to send you all to the depths of the ocean for good!" With that, he charged at them full speed, and before our heroes knew what was happening, they found themselves against the wall from the force of the charge. The Spark Star left them and was demolished by the Miniboss's sharp points.
Captain Stitch laughed a hearty laugh. "I'll be teachin' you to mess with the likes of me! You don't stand a chance!" Then he shed his spiky armor and hurled it at Kine and Kirby!
Fortunately, Kine jumped just in time for the armor to hit the wall. After a few seconds, the spikes reappeared on the Miniboss, and he charged at them again. Kine quickly jumped over him this time, and since Stitch's momentum was too strong for him to stop himself, he crashed into the wall, knocking his armor off and stunning him severely.
"Hurry! We have to hit him with it before he regains his senses!" Kirby yelled. He sucked up the spikes and shot them at Captain Stitch, who was hurt badly before he finally recovered. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper.
"Arg, you won't defeat me that easy! I'll launch me spikes atcha till ye drop dead of exhaustion!" And he did just that—but, of course, Kine and Kirby simply dodged it, inhaled it, and used it against Stitch again, leaving him with only one third of his power.
"No! I mustn't disappoint… Dark Matter. I'll get you, ye'll see soon enough." With every bit of strength he had left, he charged at them once more. But it was last time, for Kine again leaped over the charging spikeball, and Kirby inhaled the spikes to destroy the stupefied Miniboss. Kirby swallowed him up and gained Needle power before the bag dropped down and revealed its contents. It was none other than our furry friend, Rick!
"Jeez, it's about time! I've been stuffed in that sack for hours!" he whined.
"Well, that's what happens when you decided to cross the line from bravery to stupidity," Kirby joked. "But that was pretty brave of you back there to risk your freedom for an extra life." Rick beamed proudly as Kine gave Kirby a confused glance, and Kirby explained what Rick did to get captured in the first place as Rick scuffled the ground with his foot, flattered.
"Wow, you did that just to help everyone along, Rick?" Kine asked him with a hint of awe in his voice. Rick just nodded with a blush across his face. Tears appeared in Kine's eyes.
"Oh, Rick! Then you should go with Kirby from here on! You've been stuck in that bag for who-knows-long, and you were so selfless!" He turned to Kirby. "I can take care of myself from here, honest. You and Rick go on."
"Well, if you insist, Kine… but if I catch you in another bag, it better be because you went there yourself, like Coo did." Kine giggled.
"OK, Kirby, I promise." Kirby hopped onto Rick's shoulders, and they both waved goodbye to Kine before continuing through the door.
"Whoa!"
In this area, the wind was unbearably strong, and it blew Rick and Kirby along against their will. They were shoved into spikes and enemies a couple times before they finally found shelter behind a bridge.
"Whew, that was close!" Rick sighed. He sensed a Flamer behind him and used Needle power to emit spikes from his back to obliterate the fireball as it charged.
"Eep! Jeez, Rick, could you please warn me before you do that next time? I was almost skewered!"
"Sorry, Kirby. I'll be more careful—but what are we going to do about this awful…" he trailed off. As he looked behind him he saw a familiar diamond with a familiar Star Block in front of it. Kirby saw it, too.
"Kirby, do you suppose it could be another door?" Rick inquired.
"Only one way to find out," he answered, and Rick nodded before breaking the block and touching the diamond. His paw went right through!
"Well, I guess we ought to see what's inside… huh?" Rick asked a little shakily.
"Only if you want to, Rick—but you never know what could be in there."
Rick stared at the door for a long time. There could be more Propellers in there, he thought to himself. But there could be helpful items in there, too—oh, should I go in?… Yeah, probably, he finally decided, and he stepped through.
He fell about 3 feet onto a block—a disintegrating block! Rick jumped back through the door just in time before he fell to his doom below—a floor covered with sharp stakes ready to turn him and Kirby into shishkebab. Outside, Rick caught his breath as Kirby contemplated what he had seen. The room had three of those blocks: the one in the center, but then one on each side that had a star piece sitting on them. He devised a plan and told it to Rick after he rested, and he agreed to give it a try.
Rick entered the door again, but just as he touched the center block, he hopped to the right to grab the star and then jumped back through the diamond door. He repeated the process, this time going to the other block for the star.
"All right! We did it, Kirby! That was such a great idea!" Rick cheered. Pumped up from the success, he then continued the journey, ducking enemies as the wind pushed him and Kirby along until they came to the door to the next area. They went through it before another ominous Flamer could use its burning attack.
Now they were being forced along by water currents instead of wind. Rick used the same method he used in the last area, avoiding or destroying enemies (in this case, Blippers and Glunks) as the water pushed him along. They finally reached the end of the maze and jumped out of the water. The path ahead had pipes in the ground, and when Rick walked over one he found that they were ejecting air currents that could push him up!
"Wow, this is kinda neat—I'm flying!" Rick cried, and he put his arms in front of him in a Superman pose.
-.-;; "Um, I know this is quite entertaining, Rick, but we have to get going," Kirby reminded him.
"Oh, yeah—I remember now," Rick said sheepishly, and he hopped off the air current to the next pipe. He kept going like this, but Kirby noticed one of them contained an Elieel and not air. Unfortunately, Rick noticed this too late, and before Kirby had a chance to warn him…
"Ouchies..." Rick rubbed the spot where he landed on the unfortunate serpent, and Kirby only sighed as he got back up and continued the course. The last pipe in the pathway pushed Rick and Kirby up to a whole new level, and Rick had to skewer a few Scarfys and Star Blocks before coming upon the final door of the stage.
"Uh, Kirby—how do we get around this?" he inquired, referring to the two Gordos simply floating from the ground to the ceiling and back again between four Star Blocks.
"Well, release Needle and inhale the Star Blocks—we'll figure something out after that," Kirby replied. Rick did just that, and he looked at the Gordos who were floating up and down, down and up, doing their best to keep them from going to the next stage. Kirby also watched them, and after doing a few calculations, he got an idea.
"Rick, do you see how every few seconds they're both up by the ceiling?" Rick watched, and he did see that their different rates of speed gave them an opening every few seconds.
"Do you want me to run through while the Gordos have accidentally left us a pathway?" Rick suggested.
"Yep, that's the plan."
"Sounds good to me."
Rick waited until the Gordos were in their vulnerable positions, and raced as fast as he could under them before entering the last door.
"Kirby, I'm sensing a pattern in the Rainbow Drops," Rick said.
"What's that?"
"Well, unless we missed one here somewhere, they always seem to be in the stage number of the island's number—well, except at Grassland."
Kirby considered before replying, "Yeah, you're right—and I hope the pattern is continued here, too, or else we'll be looking for a long time." Then Rick entered the fifth door.
They were greeted by Sparkys on platforms leading up to a ledge high above them. Rick swallowed one to gain Spark power and continued up. They shocked Blippers and Sir Slippys along the way until they came to a bridge of Star Blocks. Breaking them with his electric beam, Rick leaped into the gap he formed and found himself swimming through the water. He and Kirby swam and swam, sparking Blippers and more Sparkys they encountered when they jumped out of the water to more platforms. But the problem was not the shocking little baddies; it was the fact that there were two doors at the end of this area instead of one…
"… Which one should we pick, Kirby?" Rick queried.
"I… don't know. This is definitely new," Kirby answered. "How about if you pick one?" he suggested.
Rick eeny-meeny-miny-moed until his paw ended up pointing to the left door. He jumped through and they found themselves in a dark room with a tomato and a Blipper (which Rick easily disposed of ^_~). Rick gratefully grabbed the tomato, but something bothered him…
"Kirby, where is that cool draft coming from?"
"Probably from the way we came, Rick."
"Maybe… but out there it's warm, so there wouldn't there be a warm breeze coming from there?"
Kirby's eyes widened. Rick is right! he thought. How could such a cool breeze come from a place so hot? I know that dark rooms like this usually contain secrets. Could there be a secret door here, too? He tried to sense where the draft was coming from, but Rick beat him to it.
"Up there, Kirby! In the farthest high corner!" He leaped up there as hard as he could, and they both found themselves on a tropical island with palm trees, Scarfys, stars, and… sleeping Propellers!
"Wow, I've never seen so many stars!" Kirby said, amazed. Rick traveled around the tiny island collecting the stars, but decided against grabbing the two that were guarded by Propellers. He didn't think he could use the Spark beam fast enough to be successful in getting rid of them. They went back through the door to the dark room, and then back out to where the Sparkys were before going into the door on the right.
Rick and Kirby were on a tiny scaffold made of rock, but jumped up to the ones above them as quickly as they could, shocking the Sir Kibbles that whipped boomerangs at them so that they wouldn't be slowed down. For beneath them, a giant slap of rock was coming up at them, and if they didn't keep going, they'd be crushed for sure!
They kept leaping up, sparking every enemy in their path, and going as fast as they could for dear life, until they came to the door to the next stage. Just before Rick went through it, Kirby cried, "Wait! Don't go in there! Go up!" Rick had no idea what he was talking about, but he did it anyway, finding more steps with Spikeys on them that led to—another door! He entered it just as the rock was about to flatten them.
Now Rick and Kirby paused to catch their breath before opening their eyes to inspect this new room. They were encased in strange, crystalline blocks with two ridged black blocks above them.
"Hey, Kirby—these blocks look like Power Blocks! I'm going to try Spark power to break them!" He sent out his beam, and sure enough, the blocks were destroyed, letting Rick leap through the hole and view more of this vast room. He and Kirby found that there were steps leading down on both sides, so that's where they went. At the bottom stair, they saw two more Spark Power blocks right at the edge of a chasm—one that Rick had little to no chance of leaping over because the floor of the hidden room above it blocked his way.
"Oh, this is great. How are we supposed to get past this? I'm positive the Rainbow Drop is in here!" Rick lamented.
"Well, you could use your Spark beam and break the blocks in front of us," began Kirby, "but… well, I don't see how we're going to get across without you bumping your head and falling into that hole…"
"…Kirby."
"Yes, Rick?"
There was a long pause. "You'll have to go on without me," Rick finally said, and he busted the Spark Power Blocks with his electric beam. "Now you can just float over there with no trouble at all and get the Rainbow Drop I know is over there." Kirby climbed down from Rick's shoulders and looked him in the eye.
"You know I can't just let you go."
"But you have to Kirby! There's no way I can jump over there and actually make it! And I can't stay here because we'll be vulnerable. Together, we're a team; and when you're by yourself, you can take care of yourself with your powers. But what if they catch me while you're getting the Drop? Then they can threaten to do more than throw me in a sack if you try to stop them, and you'll be powerless. Please, Kirby," he pleaded, "you have to keep going without me. Sure, I've messed up in the past, but I can take care of myself by now, don't you think?"
Kirby regarded his friend as the glistening of tears appeared in his eyes. He gave a nervous laugh. "This is the second time you've risked your freedom to save Dream Land. If you and Kine and Coo don't stop with the heroics, I'm going to be forced to tell the Dreamlanders that their world was saved by you guys, not me," he told him playfully.
"Oh, don't say that, Kirby," Rick replied as he gave a little sniffle. "We're all in this together. We risk ourselves so that you can go on. You're the real hero, Kirby. If you don't keep going… who will?" (A/N: This is the big, sappy, after-school-special scene. It has to be corny or it has no effect. So please don't flame me about it, K? ^_~)
They clasped hands in goodbye before Kirby said, "OK, Rick, if you insist. Just promise me you'll be careful and that you will only end up in one of those sacks if you put yourself in there yourself." Rick chortled.
"Looks like Coo started a trend," he teased. Then he leaped up the stairs and left Kirby to get the fifth Rainbow Drop. Kirby did so, and then left the way Rick did only minutes before back outside where the deadly rock was. Surprisingly, the rock receded back to just beneath the first door, and Kirby jumped down to go through it.
Kirby found himself on a cloud way up high in the sky. He glanced over the edge and saw an unsuspecting Floaty on a cloud underneath him. Kirby then got an idea. He released the Spark star, jumped down, and swallowed the umbrella enemy to gain Parasol power. Kirby once again had a red and white parasol to use as a weapon.
"If I play my cards right, I should just be able to jump over the edge and…" Kirby's umbrella caught the air and he began to float gently down. Of course, there were Star blocks and other enemies to dispose of on the way, but it was generally a peaceful ride. He finally reached the ground with a couple Waddle Dees who had the same idea and entered the final door of the stage.
Kirby stood in front of the last door: the boss. He had no idea what kind of strange creature was guarding the Warp Star next, but he knew that somehow he had to beat it. Little did he know, however, that "it" was not quite the right word…
This part of Red Canyon seemed normal enough; a rocky plain with a sunset—no, a sunrise—wait, it's sunset again…
"What the heck is going on?" Kirby cried out loud.
His question was answered soon enough, for his new enemies came from the horizon at lightning speed—a sun and a crescent moon!
"Ah, here's our little 'star'," the moon said to the sun.
"Yes, but even stars blink out after a while," the sun replied.
"Who… who are you?" Kirby inquired.
"Why, we are Mr. Shine…" the moon said.
"…and Mr. Bright," the sun completed. "And we are here to stop your quest to save Dream Land. Better watch out! We're experts at double-teaming, and you don't stand a chance against us!"
Mr. Bright hopped into the sky and made it bright as day as Mr. Shine hurled cutters twice as big as Sir Kibble's at Kirby. He was able to dodge them easily enough, but it distracted him from what Mr. Bright was doing. The sun hovered over Kirby and sent down a shower of flames that burned Kirby brutally and separated the Parasol star from him. Kirby inhaled it again and shot it out at Mr. Shine just before he began a rolling charge at Kirby. It injured him a little, but he still continued the charge, which Kirby dodged just in time. Mr. Shine then gave Mr. Bright a nod and they both leaped into the air and stayed there.
Now what are those two doing? Kirby wondered. He saw Mr. Shine create spotlight of darkness, which confused him—why would you want a dark spotlight?
But Kirby soon found out their plan, and Mr. Bright sent out a burst of fire all around that hit everywhere (including Kirby—he was burned again -.-;;) except the spotlight. After regaining his sensed, Kirby knew what to do the next time that happened.
This time it was Mr. Bright's turn to fight as Mr. Shine leaped into the sky, making it dark as night. The sun sent a fireball shooting toward Kirby, which he dodged as well. But he knew that Mr. Shine was also up to something, and tried to prepare himself for anything. Mr. Shine executed his attack alright, but it was more difficult to deal with than Mr. Bright's was. The sun's sky attack only affected one place, but the stars that Mr. Shine sent out came from everywhere at once! Kirby danced his way around them and even managed to inhale one to spit at Mr. Bright. The sun also charged at Kirby, but at a much quicker pace, and Kirby was unable to dodge it.
Oh man, Kirby thought to himself, How can I possibly defeat the sun and moon? How does a simple Dreamlander defeat two of the most powerful celestial bodies of all time? Kirby looked into the sky at Mr. Shine who was joining up again with Mr. Bright for another Fire Flash attack. (A/N: Made that up, too ^_~) Kirby scrambled into the spotlight just before the searing attack and found himself face-to-face with Mr. Shine once again.
"Ha! Foolish pink puff, you should have joined Dark Matter instead—you cannot defeat us!" He laughed a maniacal laugh, and Kirby looked into the sky again. Mr. Bright was laughing with him. But what Kirby hadn't seen before was a small, bright yellow dot off in the distance—it looked a lot like…
"The sun!" Kirby whispered to himself. Yes, the real sun was off in the distance, clouded by dust that the canyon winds whipped up in this dry, barren region. So that's why they wanted to fight here, he discovered. They wanted to hide the real sun and moon to intimidate any challengers. Well, I won't be intimidated, and I WILL eliminate them!
Rejuvenated by this information, Kirby was ready for the fiery attack Mr. Bright sent upon him, and he inhaled another star that it created. But he noticed something about it this time that made him think twice before expelling it.
This star has the same texture as a Burning Power star. Maybe if I swallow it…
Kirby did, and lo and behold, he had gained the Burning ability! With this formidable attack, he knew exactly how to defeat this dimwitted duo. He waltzed right up to Mr. Shine, who was about to throw a cutter, and said, "Who's gonna get burned now, Mr. Pine?"
The moon was just about to haughtily correct him when Kirby executed his burning attack and went straight through Mr. Shine, burning him harshly.
"Oh, you'll pay for that! Quick, Bright, switch! I can do more damage from the sky!"
Mr. Bright traded places with him to do his own damage, but Kirby knew that it was his mistake. He used the same attack on Mr. Bright again and again, back and forth. Mr. Shine's starry attack did no damage to Kirby because he was almost constantly in an invincible fiery state. In the meantime, before Mr. Bright could even get a clue what was going on, he was defeated!
"Oh, you miserable ball of fire… get up here and let me finish him off!" Kirby only laughed to himself as they switched places again. He knew that he had already defeated them. Using the same ruthless attack on Mr. Shine, the moon was also destroyed before the broken sun even had a chance to help him. They both floated into the air and exploded, allowing the Warp Star to appear from a cloud in the sky. Kirby hopped on and said to himself, "Thanks, guys, for helping me go on." (A/N: Good grief, I feel like I'm writing Titanic or something—which I also don't own *grumbles about disclaimers*) Then the Warp Star carried Kirby to the next island: Cloudy Park—The Island of the Sky.
MEANWHILE…
In a dark room in a spooky castle, a shadowy figure listened to his Bronto-spy tell him of all Kirby's actions against his minions. Its beady eyes glowed red when he heard about the defeat all Bosses, including Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright, and Kirby's advancement to Cloudy Park.
Oh, just keep coming, you miserable marshmallow, the being growled. For if you even get as far as me, you will not find victory in my defeat. I will destroy you first, Kirby, and DreamLand will be mine! You, Bronto Burt—get out of here and continue your job before I decide to… 'fire' you. And as the Bronto Burt zipped out of the hall scared for its life rather than to continue its task of spying, the shadow laughed a quiet, evil laugh.
Next chapter: What new adventures will Kirby face in Cloudy Park? Will he ever find Rick or Kine or Coo again? Will the Rainbow Drop keep up its pattern and show up in the sixth stage, or will it knock our heroes for a loop? And who was the mysterious figure spying on Kirby and threatening his life (as though it weren't blatantly obvious)? You have to read and review to find out!
A/N: OK, now we are ready for a brand-new level—one of my personal favorites, at that. ^_~ I may just end up splitting Cloudy Park and Dark Castle into three parts, though—I can't sit here and write 32 page chapters! It's tiring… -.-;; Oh, that reminds me—if you find any discrepancies in the story (i.e., I almost had Rick and Kirby fighting Captain Stitch without Spark power before they even lost it… ^^;;), please tell me so that I can repair them. But thank you all for your patience—I know it's been way too long since I updated. ^^;; And remember, Venus loves you! Although I've recently discovered that she becomes quite angry with flamers… {VEnusAUR! (^o__~^)}