"Wake up."
A warm, familiar tenor stirred Fumu to consciousness. The sleepy girl straightened up in her seat, blinking slowly as she arched her back in a stretch. It was sore from sleeping in an odd position on a seat clearly not made for that. The voice came from Blade, the armored knight standing in the aisle next to her as he coaxed the children awake. At the flight deck, Meta Knight had taken his position and assisted Sword with piloting the ship.
"Mmm?" Fumu asked dreamily, still half-awake.
"We're about to land" Blade replied, smile hidden behind his helmet.
"We're landing?!" Bun shouted next to Fumu, the boy's interjection so unexpected that it caused the other two to jump. He flew out of his seat, crawling over Fumu who sat next to the aisle. He landed next to Blade, pumping his fist in the air.
"We're landing! Woohoo!" Bun cried.
Blade put a fist to his hidden face, politely stifling a chuckle as Fumu glared at Bun. Her annoyed frown melted into an exasperated smile as she stared at her brother; although older and less filled with youthful exuberance, she was just as happy to get off of the cramped ship and onto land as he was. She allowed her mind to wander as she rubbed her sleepy eyes, wondering what the odd planet known as Star's Fall looked like.
Kirby crawled out of his own seat at the news, clearly well-rested despite having to sleep in the same cramped, uncomfortable seating as the others, and jumped up and down next to Bun and Blade.
"Yaaay, landing!" he exclaimed, stubby pink arms waving in the air.
Fumu pulled her messy hair out of its decorative scrunchies, letting it fall to her shoulders before tying it back up into a neat ponytail as she tried not to appear as if she had just rolled out of bed.
"You guys sound like you're going to a party" Fumu remarked. "You know this is serious, right? This won't be a picnic – we're going to have to stop that creep from retrieving the Necromantic Orb. Speaking of which…how are we even going to do that?" she wandered aloud, turning towards Blade. "If the legends about that thing are true, we wouldn't survive any attempts to take it either."
Meta Knight looked over his shoulder from his position seated at the flight deck, overhearing Fumu's question. "We need to defeat the Necromancer before he can reach it."
"Makes sense" Fumu replied, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
Bun gave his sister a side hug, smiling at her. "Aww, Sis, don't be such a worrywart. Did you forget who we have on our team? Kirby! The guy who defeated Nightmare! And Sir Meta Knight, Sword and Blade too. We'll be fine!"
Fumu's troubled expression relaxed. "You've got a point."
In time, the planet of Star's Fall loomed into view from the ship's sole window over the flight deck console. The planet appeared to be a reddish-orange, clouds swirling over the land. Fumu immediately noted the complete lack of blue; the planet appeared to have very little water, if any at all. That made her nervous. Still, she reasoned, if the swirling clouds she saw were any indication the planet had to at least have some sort of moisture. It was not long before the Makhaira broke into the planet's atmosphere, revealing a deep orange sky like a neverending sunset.
"Buckle up, guys!" Sword warned. "We're coming in for a landing."
The group hunkered down in their seats and harnesses as the ship flew through the sky, its exterior heating to deadly temperatures as it pierced the planet's atmosphere. Not long after, the ship landed exactly where Meta Knight willed it to. He still remembered the exact ship coordinates of where the Orb lied from when the Galaxy Soldier Army attempted to retrieve it, as he had assisted in piloting a ship there, although he had never gone on any missions to actually take it.
The ship landed with a jolt that caused everyone to get shaken roughly in their harnesses. As everyone exited their seats and prepared to leave, Meta Knight held his palm out in warning.
"Do not exit this ship without proper gear", Meta Knight warned as he walked towards the rear of the ship, standing on his tiptoes as he reached for a compartment adjacent to the restroom where the ship's supplies were kept.
"Is there no air here? Do we get to wear cool spaceman helmets?" Bun asked, quivering slightly with excitement.
"No. The air is breathable for everyone on board" Meta Knight replied. He rested back on his heels with a variety of thick, padded clothing piled high in his arms, to the point where his masked face was not visible. He walked over to the others and gently set them down.
"However, where we're going it will be very cold. The Orb is located near the planet's south pole. Fumu, Bun – dress warmly."
The two siblings began to rifle through the clothes, looking amongst the thick coats and scarves for a size that would fit them. Fumu held up a pink jacket, eyeing it carefully. She then looked to Meta Knight, noting that he was not looking through the pile of clothing.
"You won't be wearing anything, Sir?"
"I'll be fine" Meta Knight replied, wrapping himself up in his cape. His yellow eyes traveled downwards to eye Kirby, who dove into the clothes as if they were a pool and was buried in them up to his feet. "Kirby will be, too."
Fumu tilted her head slightly in thought as she pushed her arm through one sleeve of the coat she chose. It made sense that Kirby and Meta Knight would fare better in the cold by nature; they had compact, stocky bodies with extremely short limbs, all perfect for conserving warmth and energy in the core of their bodies.
Kirby looked up from the pile of clothes, a long scarf hanging over his head and draped over one eye. "No clothes?" he asked, frowning. He wanted to play dress-up like Fumu and Bun.
"We may have to fight, and winter clothing is bulky", Meta Knight cautioned Kirby. "It would probably be best if you didn't wear anything."
"Okaaay…" Kirby said sadly, slipping out of the warm pile of clothes and slinking away. Meta Knight was no fun sometimes.
"We'll be fine, too" Sword added as he and Meta Knight watched the children pick their winter gear. "We threw on another layer under our gear while you guys were sleeping."
After Fumu and Bun were properly dressed, the group was ready to leave. Bun chose a dark teal coat that matched his hair, and Fumu chose a pink one. Both wore hats and mittens. Already they began to grow uncomfortably warm in the ship's interior.
The ship's door slid open as they exited the Makhaira. Meta Knight exited first, one hand motioning the others forward as he cautiously took his first steps onto the planet with his sword out and ready. The first thing that the veteran felt was cold. Even though he felt it less than taller, slimmer creatures, it still hit him hard. He wrapped himself up in his cape as tightly as possible, determined not to show any sign of perceived weaknesses such as shivering. Fumu and Bun, despite their warm clothes, shivered violently the second they stepped out of the ship.
The planet of Star's Fall looked just as Meta Knight remembered it; bleak and ugly, a cold and desolate place with nothing but rock and dirt for miles around. A featureless orange sky, devoid of clouds, hung over an endless expanse of sand that was broken up only by the odd stray rock. Despite the intense cold, there was no snow; the ground below them was a dark, ruddy red.
Not long after they exited the Makhaira, the group noticed another ship parked nearby. The ship was larger than the one they had arrived in, silver in color, with sharp pointed angles. It was clearly a newer model.
"That must be the Necromancer's ship. He's here!" Sword cried, pointing to it.
Meta Knight nodded in agreement. "There's no time to lose."
The blue Star Warrior kept his steady gaze forward as he walked in the lead, flanked by Sword and Blade. Before them stood a cave with a small, barely visible entrance, a triangular crevasse between two huge red rocks. The others peered at the entrance curiously.
"It's in there?" Fumu asked timidly.
"I believe so" Meta Knight replied. He stuck his head into the darkened area cautiously before withdrawing, unable to suppress a shiver. Somehow, inside of the cave was even colder. The others looked at him with concern.
"We will need a source of light and warmth" Meta Knight stated, knowing that if he felt it that hard that the cold would be nearly unbearable for the children. He reached into the depths of his cape to produce a torch.
"Damn the air here" he muttered as he took several attempts to light the torch. It finally glowed to life, a weak flame rising from the wooden stick. Meta Knight quickly dipped inside of the cave's entrance with one gloved hand cautiously cupped around the torch's flame, protecting it from any outside wind. The others hurried inside after him, no one wanting to be caught outside and alone with the Necromancer nearby.
The cave inside was coated with a thick ice from top to bottom. The eerie cave glowed blue from what little they could see beyond Meta Knight's weakly flickering torch. Jagged black rocks rose from the ground, jutting upwards in random places on the sides of a narrow path that lead deeper into the cave. The ice appeared almost sculpted, as if it were manmade. The beautiful, almost crystalline cave they were in was a stark contrast from the dim orange dustbowl outside.
"Pretty…" Kirby murmured, the orange light of the torch reflecting in his deep blue eyes.
Fumu nodded in agreement as she walked beside him, too awestruck to talk. She wished that she had a camera.
As the group walked deeper into the cave, they began to notice something strange about the ice. Bun's eyes narrowed as he stared at what appeared to be an unusual sort of formation, barely visible underneath the ice's thick layer. He walked closer, asking Meta Knight to join him with his torch. Both males peered into the ice before Bun scrambled backwards, nearly knocking Meta Knight over.
"No way! This can't be real." He stammered, teeth chattering from cold and fear.
Meta Knight swept his torch around, eyes traveling up the wall of the cave until he stared directly upwards at the ceiling. He then cast his gaze downward, looking at the icy ground beneath them. It did not take the two long to realize that, encased in the ice, were bodies. Scattered throughout the cave, frozen behind its walls, was a seemingly endless array of corpses. They appeared mummified, remarkably well-preserved in their deep freeze. They stared out at the group with lifeless eye sockets, a variety of species, many wearing robes and armor that appeared both alien and many years old. Fumu jumped in place, one hand placed to her mouth in awe; despite finding the sight deeply disturbing, she couldn't help but muse that this must be an archaeological treasure trove of lost cultures.
"It appears as if this cave contains more than just ice…be on your guard." Meta Knight stated.
"Incredible" Fumu said breathlessly.
Fascination overriding fear, Fumu walked beside the wall as the group continued to wind their way down the path. She paused for a moment, putting her mittened hand on the ice. Encased in the ice she was staring at was of the cave's many frozen bodies. It appeared to be a member of Kirby and Meta Knight's species, which is what drew her to it in particular; enough of its skin was missing to reveal bits of its organs and poorly-preserved remnants of cartilage. Her mouth dropped open as she examined the body, wishing there was more time to study it in order to learn more about the anatomy of the two Star Warriors. It was like a science diagram.
Fumu suddenly jumped back with a short, high-pitched yelp, causing all three knights to withdraw their swords in an instant. She squinted at the wall she had just put her hand against before rubbing her head self-consciously, blushing in embarrassment.
"Um, sorry guys. False alarm" Fumu admitted sheepishly.
"It's okay" Sword said, Blade nodding in agreement behind him. "I think this place gives us all the creeps."
"We must keep moving" Meta Knight said tersely, urging them onward. There could be no distractions. Every second the group paused was one more moment they could allow the Necromancer, who was apparently ahead of them, to reach the Necromantic Orb first.
As the group moved on, Fumu looked over her shoulder suspiciously to glance at the spot she was once standing in. She was sure it was her imagination overreacting, considering she felt jumpy in this eerie place to begin with, but she would have sworn that she saw the body move.