(watch?v=vpHhuYo_p0Y)

In the dark hours of the night, Sword and Blade were awoken from their slumber. Their superior stood before them, his figure illuminated by the full moon in the sky. The blue knight stepped closer to his knaves, then uttered a single sentence.

"The time has come."

The two knaves nodded, immediately understanding the vague four words. The three knights swiftly, but stealthily, maneuvered down the hallways of the castle. They entered the basement without any interruptions.

Before them was a giant battleship. The battleship they had worked with for months to complete. They could feel a sense of pride within them, to know that they had completed such a magnificent airship.

"Sir Meta Knight, are we almost ready?" Blade asked.

"All that's left is to gather the crew." Meta Knight answered. "At evening, we strike."

-

The hero of Dreamland, also known as Kirby, awoke like every other morning. He ate a balanced breakfast, played with his friends in the sun, and had a generally good day. However, that changed when he stopped by the castle.

Kirby was determined to get Marx to conquer his apparent fear of the blue knight. He arrived at the castle alone to look for the knight, only to find that no one had seen him at all the entire day. Where could the blue knight be?

After finding no sign of Meta Knight, he decided to join Fumu, Bun, and Marx. The sun was just beginning to set among the clouds, creating a calming mood. However, the mood was soon shattered when an airship suddenly came into view.

(watch?v=qpUivZVUV8Y)

"Kirby…what is that?" Bun asked.

"Don't know, poyo…"

As the object came closer into view, it became more apparent what it was.

"Isn't that…the Halberd?" Fumu gaped. "Wasn't it destroyed during the battle with Nightmare?"

"I don't suppose that would be a jaunty parade float?" Marx suggested.

Then everything suddenly clicked together. Why Meta Knight was no where to be seen, along with Sword and Blade… his sudden disappearances altogether during the past few months suddenly made perfect sense.

"Kirby…Sir Meta Knight is on that ship…isn't he?" Fumu said, her voice threateningly low.

"See, I told you there was something off about him, you know!" Marx chimed in.

"What is he planning?" Bun wondered aloud.

"I don't know…why wouldn't he say anything to any of us?" Fumu sighed. "I thought he trusted us…"

The Cappy girl sighed again. She didn't want it to come to this…but…

"Kirby. It's up to you to find out what's going on. I think you're the only one he would listen to in this case." Fumu said after a pause.

Kirby nodded, determination filling his body with energy. He turned to Bun and Marx.

"I have a strange feeling that something bigger is going on. Why would Sir Meta Knight plan some sort of airship construction without telling any of us?" Bun remarked.

"Kirby, I know you would like some support during this very confusing time, you know." Marx hummed.
"However, now I have a valid reason to avoid that blue knight. You should know that I'll probably be spending the next few hours (maybe even days) hiding in a bush somewhere."

Kirby rolled his eyes in a good natured sort of way. Marx began to walk away from the others.

"I give you my utmost support. I wish you luck." The little jester walked down the hill.

"We'll watch out for him, Kirby." Fumu reassured the pink puffball.

"It looks like it's about to take off." Bun observed, "Sis, I think he's ready."

Fumu nodded. "Come, Warp Star!"

In just moments, the Warp Star came and swooped Kirby off the ground. His friends shouted several farewells to him as he headed toward the Halberd. With a determined look forming on his face, the young Star Warrior was prepared to confront the blue knight.

-

(watch?v=LrfjWUizb94)

"Kirby's here! He's flying this way!" A creature with a Viking helmet and a skull face shouted.

Sailor Dee squeaked in panic. "Oh no! Oh no! What do we do?!"

"He mustn't interfere with our plans!" A purple armored creature joined the fray.

Suddenly, the chaos fell when an albatross dressed in sailor attire spoke. "Lord Meta Knight, what is your command?"

Everyone fell silent as the blue knight began to speak. "All on deck prepare for battle! All others prepare for takeoff!"

The pink puffball landed on the airship, then made his way through the insides of the ship. He was determined to get to Meta Knight.

"Captain Vul, Kirby's infiltrated the rocket valve!" The skull faced creature, known as Axe Knight, informed the albatross.

"Whaat?! Throw the Heavy Lobster at 'im!" Captain Vul replied.

Kirby made his way down a ladder and through an elevator shaft, then exited the rocket valve.

All the while, the crew was watching the pink puffball's actions through small cameras around the ship. The purple armored knight, Mace Knight, pointed to one of the monitors.

(watch?v=I_RX8BuWSb4)

"Kirby is just behind the nozzle now!"

"Ready for takeoff now! She can fly at any time!" Axe Knight called.

Captain Vul was losing his patience. "Hurry it up! Where's Heavy Lobster?!"

Suddenly, a large golden metal lobster dropped in front of Kirby. It charged towards him, nearly trampling the young Star Warrior. Kirby didn't have any Copy Ability, as he wasn't expecting Meta Knight to call an attack on him…

Kirby tried to dodge the Heavy Lobster's attacks, as his mind tried to understand what was happening around him. Why would Meta Knight rebuild the Halberd? Why would he need it? Why wasn't he going to talk to Kirby?

"Kirby is currently fighting Heavy Lobster!" Sailor Dee informed.

Meta Knight thought over his options as he watched Kirby run away and evade Heavy Lobster. "Initiate takeoff! We'll blow Kirby away!"

"Ok! Main engine ignition!" Axe Knight shouted.

"Now! Take off!" Captain Vul ordered.

At that moment, the Halberd began to takeoff in an amazing burst of speed. Kirby desperately tried to hold onto the railing of the ship, only to be knocked off in a matter of seconds.

(watch?v=ZreP12cHrzY)

"Looks like Kirby was blown into the ocean." Axe Knight observed.

"Hmm. That was close." The purple armored knight sighed in relief.

Captain Vul chuckled. "My flying fortress, the Halberd, will now rule all of Dream Land."

"Excuse you?" Sword coughed. "Sir Meta Knight designed, built, and repaired this ship!"

"I don't recall that you were with us when we spent several weeks worth of time repairing the Halberd." Blade added.

"Lord Meta Knight, are you going to let your underlings speak to their captain in such a way?!" Captain Vul squawked.

However, it seemed that the blue knight wasn't paying attention to any of the argument.

"But first a little test. Off to Grape Gardens!" Meta Knight ordered.

Captain Vul grumbled something about disrespect, then headed back to his station. After a moment of silence, Sword and Blade decided to ask something that had been on their minds.

"Sir Meta Knight…are we trying to hurt Kirby?" Sword asked.

"Is he the enemy now?" Blade added.

"…No." The experienced warrior turned to look at the setting sun in the sky. "I just need him out of our way for the time being."

-

(watch?v=jav-AziBDdk)

The pink puffball was so confused. Meta Knight just threw him off the ship without the slightest reason as to why. He knew that he wouldn't get any answers just sitting around wondering why. So despite the confusion he was feeling, he raced off to follow the Halberd.

Kirby inhaled a Poppy Bro Jr. to gain the Bomb ability, then headed through the tropical area. He swam through the ocean tinted with an orange light from the sunset. Then he stopped at a large tree with a face.

The Whispy Woods said nothing, only choosing to attack. Kirby quickly defeated his opponent, only for the ground to suddenly open up beneath him. He was faced by two hostile trees this time, neither showing no intention on letting him pass by peacefully.

He defeated the Twin Woods with his Bomb ability, then noticed his Warp Star heading his direction. With a cry of triumph, Kirby hopped on his Warp Star.

"Kirby is flying after us!" Axe Knight yelled in alarm.

"Ok, Main cannons online. Shall we fire?" Mace Knight asked.

Before Meta Knight had the time to speak, Captain Vul excitedly shouted. "Fire away! FIIIIRE!"

Kirby flew around the Halberd, only for him to get knocked off his Warp Star by the main cannon's fire. He plummeted out of the air once again, crashing somewhere.

Captain Vul chuckled in victory, only to grow silent when he saw the look of disapproval from Meta Knight.

"Captain Vul, I did not approve of such an order." He turned to the rest of his crew. "You will wait for my approval before executing such a move again."

"Kirby is hit! He's fallen in the woods." Axe Knight reported.

"All right. That should take care of him now." Captain Vul stated confidently.

Sailor Dee rolled his eyes, then remarked. "I wonder…"

(watch?v=AVuBrGMfSEU)

Kirby picked himself up from his rough fall in the woods. His body wasn't hurt, but his feelings were. Meta Knight had opened fire on him… Kirby was scared and worried for Meta Knight. He was always a bit vague on his motives…but now…it was like Kirby didn't even know him anymore.

The pink puffball looked at his surroundings, then realized where he was. A plan was formulating in his mind. He raced down the forest path, now knowing what he had to do.

The hero of Dreamland climbed up the mountain summit not too far from the forest. Then he was face to beak with the giant bird he had come to see.

"Dyna Blade, poyo! I need your help!" Kirby pleaded, not sure if the bird could understand.

"That ship, I don't know what it's going to do, poyo, but I don't think it's good!"

Dyna Blade studied him for a moment, then gave a screech. She suddenly grabbed him with her beak, then flipped him onto her back. With another screech, she flew toward the airship in the orange sky.

(watch?v=bab9jZHOVc0)

As soon as they neared the ship, the cannons began to fire. Dyna Blade tossed Kirby onto the ship, before one blast shot her wing. Kirby watched in dismay as Dyna Blade flew away from the ship in slight pain.

"Dyna Blade has been shot down!" Axe Knight reported.

"Captain Vul, why did you order fire without my approval?" Meta Knight questioned.

"What else could we do? That bird is bigger than I am! Besides, the shots weren't lethal or critical. She'll be fine." Captain Vul explained.

"Dyna Blade has three chicks to care for. If she is too injured to care for them, you are to take responsibility." Meta Knight responded.

Captain Vul looked down at his feet, somewhat ashamed.

"But…! But…! Kirby is on the deck!" Mace Knight said in panic.

"Relax. We must handle this calmly." Meta Knight stated.

Captain Vul slammed his palms on a desk. "Listen, you lubbers! I want you all after that Kirby!"

The pink puffball maneuvered his way around the Halberd, when suddenly he was stopped by a group of knights.

"That's far enough, Kirby!" Meta Knight said over the ship's intercom.

"Now you will know the power of Meta Knight!" The albatross squawked.

"Fight!" Sailor Dee cheered enthusiastically.

Kirby easily defeated the knights with little to no effort, most likely fueled by his desire to confront the blue knight. He entered the inner mechanisms of the ship.

"Looks like Kirby is trying to get on deck." Mace Knight observed.

"Well then, let's guide him in front of one of the cannons." Captain Vul said calmly.

Kirby ran through the insides of the Halberd, eventually stopping in a large room with a single door.

"Kirby is now approaching Main Cannon #2." Axe Knight watched the monitor.

"He'll be burnt to a crisp. Hahahaha!" Captain Vul laughed.

"Heehee!" Sailor Dee giggled, though it was because of Captain Vul thinking defeating Kirby would be an easy task.

"Captain Vul, we aren't trying to hurt Kirby. We need him out of the way." Meta Knight said in a warning tone.

"The boy's tryin' to destroy this ship. Right now he's an enemy!" Captain Vul scoffed.

Meta Knight stared at the monitor, wanting Kirby to be safe, but at the same time wanting him far away from the Halberd.

-

Kirby arrived in front of the Main Cannon #2. The weapon fired giant cannonballs at him, a bit larger than himself. Most of the crew gasped as Kirby inhaled the cannonballs, then spit them back at the cannon. The cannon was reduced to scrap metal in a matter of seconds.

"Ahh! Main Cannon #2 was destroyed!" Axe Knight trembled.

"The cannon's a wreck! We can't use it!" The purple armored knight said, panic growing.

"What?! How could this be?" Captain Vul yelled in shock and disbelief.

"Ye see what the boy did?! He's ruined our cannon!" The albatross squawked to Meta Knight.

Sailor Dee suddenly whiffed. "Does anyone smell gas and smoke? Gee, I sure hope those two don't-"

"BOOOM!"

A loud explosion was heard across the Halberd. A few in the control room jumped from the shock. They watched in shock and amazement as Kirby flew away on the Warp Star to a different location on the ship.

"Kirby is now headed for the left wing!" The skull faced knight said with growing panic in his voice.

"You don't think he'd…" Sailor Dee muttered worriedly.

"Everyone! We need to keep Kirby away from the left wing!" Captain Vul ordered, while Meta Knight nodded in confirmation.

Kirby made his way through the inside of the Halberd, obtaining the Jet ability then flying around. A few moments later, another explosion sounded across the airship, taking the left wing with it.

"The left wing is destroyed! Damage to 74% of the wing!" Axe Knight reported, looking at the monitor with dismay.

"Arggh!" Captain Vul pulled at his hat in frustration.

"We're starting to lose stability because of it!" Mace Knight's voice rose.

"Retract the sails! Give more lift to the left wing!" The blue knight ordered.

Sword and Blade, who had been mostly quiet through most of the mission, began to feel a trickle of panic.

"Sir Meta Knight, should we leave?" Sword and Blade asked in unison.

"You may flee if you wish. I will go down with the Halberd if necessary." Meta Knight calmly answered.

"Sir Meta Knight, we leave when you do." Sword said.

"We won't escape without you with us." Blade added.

"I expected nothing less from my knaves. I knew I could rely on you both during this time." The experienced knight's eyes turned blue for a moment.

"Thank you, sir." They both felt pride stir in their hearts.

(watch?v=6VzttOIV5JY)

"Hey! Where's Kirby now?" Captain Vul asked Mace Knight and Axe Knight.

"It looks like he's inside the cabin now…" The purple armored knight answered.

"We got him on radar! He's in the ducts!" Axe Knight reported.

They watched the pink puffball maneuver through the ducts with speed and precision.

Captain Vul observed the radar closer. "What's he doing there?!"

"He's moving through the ducts now!" Mace Knight gasped.

Sailor Dee tilted his head in confusion. "Is he lost or something?"

"Wait…I thought of something. Heeheehee." Captain Vul chuckled darkly.

"Perhaps it would be best for you to explain this plan of yours before putting it into action." Meta Knight suggested in a familiar warning tone.

-

Kirby stopped in a room and inhaled a Birdon, gaining the wing ability. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that whatever awaited behind that door would require speed to evade. He entered the door, only wishing he could talk to the blue knight.

"Are we all ready?" Captain Vul asked the crew.

"Are we really doing this?" Axe Knight shook his head.

"Hmph. I know we'll regret this." Mace Knight turned to Axe Knight in agreement.

"Shut it! Now is our only chance to finish him!" Captain Vul squawked. "This time we will succeed! Heavy Lobster, away!"

(watch?v=sidWF7mavRY)

Kirby looked behind to see the same robotic golden lobster from before. It was chasing after him, and he knew he would have to escape it's clutches. He flew through the narrow places in the ship, hoping to evade it's sight. The Heavy Lobster continued to follow him, destroying everything in it's path.

"Bwahahahaha! Crush him! CRUSH HIM!" Captain Vul pounded his fists on his desk.

The crew gave Captain Vul strange looks, some shocked and others somewhat disgruntled.

"Ahh…Looks like our ship is falling apart…" Axe Knight sighed, watching the wreckage.

"Don't worry about it! Just press on!" Captain Vul said with enthusiasm.

Blade and Sword stood by their superior. Both becoming uneasy at Captain Vul's erratic behavior.

"Sir Meta Knight, I think Captain Vul is taking this too far." Sword whispered.

"We're trying to capture Kirby, not destroy him, right?" Blade asked.

"The Heavy Lobster was programmed with two modes." Meta Knight explained. "Capture mode and Battle mode. The Heavy Lobster should be set to Capture."

"Then…why is it trying to attack him?" Sword observed, pointing at the monitor.

Meta Knight watched the monitor, seeing that the Heavy Lobster was indeed fighting Kirby instead of capturing. The Heavy Lobster is a machine, and therefore had no sense of morality. Should it be too strong, it wouldn't know when to stop fighting until Kirby…couldn't defend himself anymore.

"Captain Vul! Why is the Heavy Lobster on Battle mode?" Meta Knight questioned.

"It was supposed to be on Capture!" The albatross investigated the manual controls for Heavy Lobster, only to find they weren't usable.

"It's malfunctioning!" Axe Knight stated.

The robotic crustacean stomped to Kirby, nearly trampling again. Kirby charged forward with his Wing ability, only resulting in hurting himself far more than his opponent.
He tried using the feather gun, which only resulted in a little damage done. The Heavy Lobster stomped forward, then jumped into the air. It spewed fire from it's claws, barely missing Kirby's face. He couldn't do anything to the robot at all.

Suddenly, the Heavy Lobster released some sort of red and orange blob. Kirby discarded his ability and inhaled the blob, hoping that it would give him a useful ability.

A purple cap appeared on his head, signifying the Paint ability. Once the Heavy Lobster approached him again, the purple capped puffball used his powerful ability. Paint in every color splattered in every direction, even onto some of the cameras.

Axe Knight gasped. "Captain Vul! Heavy Lobster's eye has been destroyed!"

"What?! Paint ability, you say?!" Captain Vul gawked.

"Oh no! He can't tell his left from his right anymore!" Mace Knight pointed to the monitor, the robotic crustacean shambling around aimlessly.

"Rassa frassa blassa! Arrrgh!" Captain Vul pulled at his hat, then repeatedly pounded his fist into his desk.

A few moments later, the Heavy Lobster exploded due to it's own circuits going haywire. The explosion could be heard all across the Halberd. The Captain's room shook from the tremors.

(watch?v=7gfctu5h29w)

"Looks like the explosion from Heavy Lobster took out the right wing!" Mace Knight reported with sorrow.

Captain Vul put his hand on his beak in thought. "Hm. Hmm. Having both wings destroyed might be just what we needed."

Meta Knight continued to look at the monitor. "… … … …"

After a few moments, the blue knight pushed past the albatross to look closer at the screen. "Where is Kirby?"

It sounded more like a demand than a question, but they knew better than to argue with Meta Knight's orders. For a split moment, Sword and Blade almost thought their lord's eyes had turned white, and his shoulders were shaking somewhat. Surely they were just imagining such a reaction?

Axe Knight and Mace Knight flickered through a few monitor screens until they saw a familiar round pink shape.

"Kirby is climbing around the outside of the ship, heading for the helm." Axe Knight pointed to the screen.

Meta Knight's shoulders seemed to relax somewhat after the statement.

Suddenly, the pink puffball turned their way. He was staring directly at the camera. Kirby walked a bit closer to the camera, then a look of anger appeared on his face, looking quite hurt.

The look of anger and betrayal on Kirby's face was enough to chill everyone in the room to the bone, including Meta Knight. The crew continued to stare at the image of the young Star Warrior a few more moments until something happened.

The camera flickered out, leaving nothing but static.

Author's Note: Well, it seems that the Halberd crew has made a grave mistake. They've upset the puffball so now they're gonna pay. Sigh...we're getting closer and closer to the inevitable, so let's just have some fun while it lasts. How many more chapters will be left in this arc? I think this arc is supposed to end after Chapter 37...I think. I've never been good at math.