Upon arriving at earth, Marie lead Samus inside, saying "This is our home, there's like... a bazillion rooms for friends who want to stay a night, or even possibly live here..."
She opened the door, and gasped, seeing another creature much like her, except slightly taller, with a shorter tail. He also dressed differently than her. She instantly recognized him as an old friend and yelled "Klonoa!" giving him a sudden hug. He smiled, soft hazel eyes gazing on and returned the embrace. She then stepped back and turned to the Gaia "Spirit, this is my big brother, Klonoa!"
"Nice to meet you" he said, hand extended to shake. Spirit forced a grin, and shook his hand, Klonoa chuckling "So you're the one Kina told me about..."
"Kina?" Marie tilted her head "you've been to Cryssna recently?"
He shook his head "No, Kina found me and sent me here with Lolo..." his expression became serious "She talks of a plague on Cryssna, first these strange dark creatures got around the shields... and now Cryssnans are falling ill..."
Marie gasped "The darkness disease!"
He nodded, letting out a sigh "The council is keeping the disease under control, but Kina wanted me to warn you... Lolo went there to try and find a cure..."
A tear dropped, as Marie laid a hand on his shoulder "What happened?"
"She has caught the disease, and things don't look good... I brought her here to see if you could possibly find a cure..."
Marie smiled, and then pulled out the white feather she had gotten from Spirit.
"This has healing powers. It saved me, so it should work on Lolo too."
Klonoa was stunned, but he led the way to the couch he had laid her down on. She was almost motionless; her breathing the only sign that she was still alive. Marie placed the feather in Lolo's hands, which then faded into a shimmer of light.
"Did it work?" Klonoa asked. Suddenly, Lolo gave a soft moan, her eyes slowly opening.
"Ugh... Where... Am I?" she asked, still recovering. Klonoa hugged her gently and Marie knelt by her, saying "You became sick with the darkness disease... luckily, all the Cryssnans you tried to cure have a stronger constitution..." she paused "Meaning whoever did this to them wasn't aiming to take out the race, but to immobilize it... but what for?"
Meanwhile, Luce stood before an alter in Cryssna, no one able to guard the relic due to sickness. She placed her hands on the sphere, a dark blue, and lifted it from its resting place, disappearing into the shadows. Back at the lair, she returned to Zeetan with the same blank stare as usual, holding it out to him "I have retrieved the materia kept on Cryssna..."
"Excellent..." he laughed evilly, taking the sphere in her hand "This makes two now! And Luce, check up on our new henchmen, I want to see what he plans to do!"
"Yes, master" she blankly said, disappearing back into the shadows. At this point, she lost complete free will, unable to resist the darkness in any way, and could only hope that Zeetan would be stopped. When she reappeared, she was in the space pirates ship, approaching the reptilian creature.
"Ridely" she said "Zeetan wants to know of anything you're planning!"
He turned around, body screeching from the motors in his artificial limbs "My pirate fleet is in position... Tell Zeetan that he shall have his Materia."
Luce nodded, and then vanished into the shadows once more.
"And I shall have my revenge on the hunter..." Ridley hissed, turning back around.
Back at the house, Klonoa and Lolo had been filled in on the situation, and the next world to visit was in debate.
"I think I know where we could find another ally." Samus said. Everyone looked at her, focusing intently "There's a far off planet called Popstar that's home to a young Star Warrior. I met him at a tournament long ago, along with many other great heroes."
Marie listened very closely, more so than usual as Samus talked of the legendary star warrior called 'Kirby', who despite his small size, had great power.
"It sounds like he could be a great help with his copy ability!"
"The thing is..." Samus continued "He doesn't seem to talk a lot... actually, I don't know if he could speak at all, but he does seem to understand people..."
"Hum..." Marie thought "It's a cryssnan ability to know someone's intent, what they could possibly be thinking by staring deeply into one's eyes, peering into emotions... so maybe that may work..."
"Then again, it may not..." Klonoa said "I'll stay here with Lolo as she recovers, you, Spirit and Samus and you can go to find this star warrior!"
"Who died and made you leader?" a distorted voice said, as a ring in Klonoa's hand started to vibrate, a creature jumping out of its gem. He had strange striped arms, and glassy, green eyes that resembled two sheets of glass. It wore nothing but a bandana.
"Pipe down, Popka!" Marie seemed to already know what he was saying "Meh brother's talking!"
"Heh, I have an idea!" he said "How about I tag along, you could all use some protection!"
He extended his white claws, showing them off as Marie began to burst out into laughter "Yeah right!"
He glared coldly at the child and she suddenly realized he was being serious "Oh! I see, you wanna go to other worlds?"
He nodded, as Lolo explained "He has recently developed this desire to broaden his horizons and see other worlds..."
"But you can't go, Popka, because Lolo isn't strong enough for the trip... you're like her guardian" Marie pat his head jokingly, as he huffed at her, but then realized.
"Yeah, I guess you're right..." he said "I'd never leave her side!"
Marie nodded, then opened up a new portal "Let's go! This Kirby sounds like he'd be a big help!" Everyone except for Klonoa, Lolo, and Popka went through. They reappeared in the middle of a bright, sunny world, lively and full of color, and in the distance, a great castle stood perched on a cliff.
"This area of Popstar is known as Dreamland. Kirby should be close by."
Just then, a loud rumble shook the ground. Within seconds, a spiked cloud monster with a single, enormous eye crashed down by them. It sparked with electricity, looking ready to attack. As it sent out a bolt of lightning, the attack was sucked away by something. Everyone turned, seeing what looked like a pink ball with feet. It swallowed the lightning bolt, and its body started changing. A head dress of green, plasma energy appeared, and the creature's body began surging with electricity. He released a blast of concentrated energy at the monster, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. The creature returned to normal, and he walked happily over to the others. "Poyo!" it said in a cheery voice.
"It's good to see you, Kirby."
"That's Kirby!" everyone else exclaimed.
"He's more than you think."
Marie looked at Kirby closer.
"He's got maximum pink."
"Meep?" she stared into his child-like eyes, tilting her head as he yelled out "Aye!" hurting her sensitive, Klonian ears. He stared blankly outward, and Samus started talking to him "It's been awhile" she said, receiving a simple nod and smile.
"Hi Kirby..." Marie crouched down, curling her tail "Would you like to be my friend?"
He hopped up happily and glee, as she giggled "I'll take that as a yes!"
"What was that thing that attacked us?" Spirit wondered.
"That was a monster from Nightmare Enterprises." a mysterious voice said. Suddenly, another being appeared out of thin air. He looked much like Kirby, but was blue, and had a metal mask covering all but his intense eyes.
"Allow me to introduce myself: I am Meta-Knight."
Everyone stared at him blankly.
"Nightmare Enterprises..." Marie mumbled.
"They are an evil company that produces monsters, and sends them all over the universe. It is both mine and Kirby's duty as Star Warriors to destroy these monsters, and defeat the company's master; N.M.E."
"Hum..." Marie stroked her furry chin, thinking "Sounds like someone Zeetan would recruit... I wonder..."
She looked over to Metaknight "Have you seen any strange creatures of darkness yet? Void of emotion, they seek other people's hearts..."
He shook his head "Not lately..."
"Though I wouldn't doubt that they could appear here" Spirit said "It seems Zeetan follows and attacks us a lot... so it could happen soon..."
"Maybe we can look around here?" Marie suggested, approaching Metaknight "Could you be our guide?"
He shook his head "There is somewhere I must go, but I can tell you where those monsters are coming from." He then pointed to the castle, Samus pressed some buttons on the side of her helmet to zoom in "That is the castle of Dreamland's king Dedede. He has been ordering monsters from N.M.E. to try and defeat Kirby."
"What could he have against Kirby?" Spirit asked.
"Kirby protects the citizen's from his tyrannical rulership. Were it not for Kirby's crash landing on Popstar, the people might still be under Dedede's influence." Meta-Knight then walked off, disappearing once more.
"We should probably check that out. This Nightmare Enterprises could have some connection to Zeetan." Spirit suggested. Marie nodded in agreement, leading the group off towards the castle, saying "I wonder, should we just enter in, or should someone sneak in?"
"Well, the castle is usually guarded by creatures called waddle dees" Samus said "But oddly, it's open to the public... still..."
"We shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves..."
"Ah well, what's the worst that could happen?" Spirit said, holding Marie's hand loosely. In her other hand she held the orb, becoming a normal sight to him. Meanwhile, they were being watched by someone.
"Darn that there Nightmare Enterprises! That Kracko monster was as wimpy as the last one!" a penguin-like creature said "And now we got ourselves more aliens! As if that Kirby wasn't bad enough!"
A large snail with a mustache crawled up beside him "Well, your majesty, might I suggest..."
He was cut off prematurely by a hammer to the head.
"Who cares what you think? I pay you to be a sidekick, Escargoon, not a strategist."
As always, the king's advisor mumbled something witty and he continued to closely monitor the screen. The king rubbed his chin, seeing how the group was about to enter that castle, and pressed a button on the arm of his chair. The screen moved up to the side, making room for a platform to the side, as a grey man in a cheesy business suit and sunglasses appeared on screen.
"Why hello again, King Dedede" he said in a casual voice "Have you come to pay your debts this time?"
The penguin man grumbled "I told you I'll pay once you send me a monster that won't fail!"
"Might I remind you owe us 99,800,000 DD dollars?" he said, bringing out a calculator as the irate king mumbled below his breath.
"Will you just send me a monster already? We have some special guests from another world!"
"Very well, your majesty. We have a very special monster prepared for you." Suddenly, the platform in the center of the room began to spark and energy balled above it. The energy then shifted into some kind of sphere. It was a dark color, almost like looking at a pocket of space. "What the heck is this thing?" Dedede wondered, Escargoon cowering behind him. The sphere then took yet another form. It was a gold horned being with pure black eyes. A dark purple cape was wrapped around its body, and its face was long and dark. "I must thank you for being my best customer, but it's time for you to pay up!"
Meanwhile, as the group approached the inner sanctums of the castle, Marie suddenly stumbled, her vision blurry. Before anyone could notice, she fell to the ground, seeming to be weakened. The stone floor felt cool against her body, and she found herself unable to move for a moment until Spirit turned around and gasped, rushing to her side to help her up. She blinked in a daze at him, taking his hand.
"What happened there?"
She shook her head, rubbing the back of her scalp saying "I don't know, maybe I just conked out a moment, but I'll be fine..."
A couple of screams sounded from upstairs.
"Something dark approaches." Sephiroth said in a cryptic tone. In that very moment, a flash of light appeared, shifting into the horned monster. Kirby gasped at the sight, obviously knowing who it was. The creature smiled with a set of razor-sharp teeth and it caught sight of the small Star Warrior.
"Who are you!" Spirit demanded.
"I am the owner of Nightmare Enterprises' 24 hour monster delivery service, but you may know me as NME.!" They were all stunned by this, not believing it at first. Kirby ran up to NME, a look of determination about him. He tried to inhale the demonic manager, but NME just laughed and shot a stream of black stars out of his finger tip, knocking the pink warrior into a stone column.
"Spirit, we must stop him!" Marie said, clutching her head "This person's strong... the natural shift has fallen out of balance because of him..."
"?" Spirit looked over to her "Is this what's effecting you?"
She nodded, then looked to see more black stars fly, a bunch heading in Spirit's direction. Before he could think, Marie leapt in front, holding out her arms, creating a shield just in time to protect them both. She then winced and rubbed her head again.
"So dizzy, I can barely focus, Spirit, I don't think I'll be much help against this enemy..."
He nodded, materializing the ultima as Samus blasted away at the enemy, leaving it unscathed. He turned to Marie one last time, looking down upon the orb as he smiled "You just take cover, we'll get him!"
Just then, a beam of light hit NME from behind. He remained unfazed, but it was enough to call his attention. Meta-Knight stood behind him, holding an orange, spiked sword, in the other hand, a rod with a golden star on the top.
"I just payed a visit to the Fountain of Dreams, and came across the weapon capable of defeating you."
He tossed the rod to Kirby, who inhaled it. The tiny doppelganger began glowing, a great power ready to reveal itself. The rod reappeared in his hand, now emitting the same aura. NME moved back a bit, shielding his eyes from the light.
"I... Won't let you hurt my friends." Kirby said, shocking everyone.
"He can talk?"
NME turned to Meta-Knight, a look of extreme hatred about him "You've been a thorn in my side for years, Star Warrior!"
In an instant, NME swiped at the lone swordsman, his mask catching the front of the blow. A crack ran down the center, finally splitting it in two. Meta-Knight landed hard on the ground, his true face now revealed. Kirby became enraged at the sight of his fallen comrade, striking the monster. NME tried defending himself, flinging more dark stars around the room. Spirit found himself batting the projectiles away with the sword, Marie giving into the dark daze.
The fight dragged on and on, until Kirby struck a spot under the cloak, making impact as his foe let out a wail in pain. He found the weak spot, and continued striking until NME found himself weakened and in great pain. With one final glare, another darkness surrounded him, one that wasn't his own.
"Zee...tan..." Marie mumbled in her daze, staring up weakly. Spirit gasped, ready to strike at the darkness, but soon it all faded away, and NME disappeared.
"So, the darkness has followers." Sephiroth thought to himself. Meta-Knight rose from the floor, his body bruised. He looked almost exactly like Kirby, except he was a dark blue color. Kirby walked over, not believing what he saw.
"Meta... Knight..." he said timidly.
"Kirby... I guess there's no hiding the truth now..." He then paused for a moment, smiling "When N.M.E. created the monster that wouldn't obey him, circumstances had you believe that it was you... I was, in fact, that monster, and you... Are my son..." Kirby was taken aback by this. "That's why I was always so tough on you... You're destined to be the greatest Star Warrior of us all, and you have just proven that."
All the while Marie found the world coming back into view. Fighting away the dizziness, she felt herself being lifted gently, and opened her eyes to see Spirit's face, looking down at her with a gentle smile. She purred softly, it felt pleasant being in his arms, and she found herself drifting off to sleep. She woke up sometime later in a soft, white bed in another castle room, Metaknight looking down at her with slight interest. Obviously, he was well rested at this point, and she sat up, beginning to wonder why he was there.
"Your friends are waiting outside" he said "And Kirby has decided to join you in fighting Zeetan in the heartless, as a star warrior, it is his responsibility to help fight for the Dream Land..."
She smiled, but then asked "And what about you, you're a star warrior as well, right?"
"Yes" he said "But at the same time, I am a loyal subject to the king, and am tied to this castle..."
She frowned "But why? Can't you just leave to help us? Isn't it your duty as a star warrior to help others?"
He sighed "It is my duty to serve the king, but I know now that Kirby is in good hands..."
She threw off the covers and hopped out of the bed, turning to him one last time, nodding.
"I understand..." she said with a cordial bow, a Cryssnan custom "Thank-you, sir Metaknight, even if we must leave, we shall remember you as a great friend and ally."
He subtly nodded, letting her exit the room before saying "Good-bye, young warrior, may you rise victorious among the dark powers!"
She eagerly nodded and quickly ran outside, glomping Spirit on sight "Let's go home! We'll have to get a room ready for Kirby!"
Marie opened a portal, and everyone stepped through. Meanwhile, beneath the ocean, Zeetan was plotting a new scheme. Luce, Ridley, and NME followed him through a stone path, the sea hovering above the land.
"Behold Hyrule, the ancient civilization lost beneath the waves at the hands of their very leader. "This had better be good..." Ridley mumbled. They approached a stone pedestal, a sword embedded within it.
"This is it, the Four Sword! Within it lies the spirit of a powerful wind mage."
Luce walked up to it, placing her hand upon the sword. A surge of energy emanated from it and sent her back. She stared upside down in a daze, rising to her feet.
"My dear, that sword was made to repel evil... But it has never come upon an evil such as mine before!" Zeetan raised his arm to the sword, a series of dark energy spikes appearing around it. "Witness the power of my Soul Spear!" The spikes shot forward, lodging into he sword's blade. He then clenched his spectral hand into a fist, causing the sword to surge with his dark energy. Within seconds, the sword exploded into tiny fragments, spreading across the ground. "Grahahahaha!" an ominous voice laughed. A tornado arose from the pedestal, a gigantic eye opening in the center of it "Who dares to awaken the great wind mage; Vaati!"