Chapter 22: Not just a dream...
In just a matter of seconds, Sonic and Link appeared on a large grassy plain. Link was greatly reminded of Lon-Lon Ranch; all it needed was Malon, horses, and a fence and it would easily be Lon-Lon. Sonic whistled, very impressed at this sight.
"Wow. I shoulda come here some time ago. There's plenty of space for me to run around here." Sonic said, looking out at the beauty of the area.
Link looked around and then he saw a familiar pink thing running toward them faster than an Olympic sprinter. Its eyes were as wide as dinner plates and it was leaving behind a great cloud of dust. Link smiled as he realized who this was.
"Hey, Kirby. How's it going?" Link said, waving.
Kirby simply ran by before shouting, "Talk later! RUN NOW!"
A quizzical look crossed his face as he looked past where Kirby came from. Right behind him was a big blue guy with red robes and some snail creature. The blue guy suddenly ran past him with the snail close behind him and appeared to be very frightened.
"OUTTA MY WAY! OUTTA MY WAY!" The blue guy shouted.
"CAN'T YOU SEE THEY'RE GONNA EAT US?!" The snail shouted.
Link looked past all of them to see the thing he had been dreading since the day he saw them. It was an army of Dragonoids charging toward them with swords, daggers, and axes. Some had wings, some did not. Some had horns on their face while some had spines down their backs. Link drew his sword, but then Sonic pointed something out.
"Link! That's an army you're about to face! It's about a thousand to one here!" Sonic reminded.
Link decided not to leave Kirby or Sonic, so he ran off with them to try and find an alternative.
After running for many minutes, they lost the Dragonoid army and found shelter in a nearby trench. Kirby and the other two guys were gasping for breath and they were so tuckered out, even breathing was a labor.
"It's…nice to see you too…Link." Kirby said between gasps.
"NOW I get a greeting." Link said, rolling his eyes.
"By the way, who were those guys following you?" Sonic asked with a shrug.
The big blue guy immediately stood up, wielding a hammer at Sonic like an accusing finger. He spoke in a deep, southern voice.
"I'll have ya know I'm King Dedede of Dreamland!" The blue guy said.
The snail gently pushed Dedede's hammer down, trying to relax him. The snail spoke in a kind of high, scratchy voice.
"Your majesty, take it easy. Remember your blood pressure. You wouldn't want another leech treatment, would ya?" It asked.
"Oh, alright, Escargoon." Dedede said, pocketing the hammer.
"So…I see you have a little Dragonoid problem." Link pointed out.
"You know about those things that were chasing us?" Kirby asked, suddenly.
"Of course he does. They attacked our worlds and they're searching for a special thing called a 'Key Item'. Do you know of anything very special in this world?" Sonic asked, scratching his head.
King Dedede ignored Link's question and scratched his chin in deep thought. Escargoon smacked himself in the forehead.
"Oh, great. Whenever he comes up with a difficult question, he has to come up with some stupid answer." He said to himself.
"I know! I'll find us some monsters and take those dopey dragons out!" Dedede said, pounding one fist into another.
"Uh…I don't think that's a good idea. We've seen the Dragonoids take out some of the best fighters we've ever seen single-handed. Knowing them, they'll take out anything you throw at them." Link told the king, recalling what they did to Knuckles, the Dreadfin, the Kremlings, and those other bounty hunters.
"Maybe there's more to this that meets the eye." A mysterious voice said.
Everyone whirled and everyone but Sonic said, "Metaknight!"
Sonic cocked his head slightly to the side and asked, "Who's this?"
Kirby turned to Sonic and answered, "Metaknight is a Star Warrior like me. Only…he's a bit stronger and a lot more experienced."
Metaknight's cape was folded up against his body as he spoke the wise words of a sensei.
"Together, an iron chain is very strong. But if you find the weakest link in it, you can easily shatter it. We must use THAT to our advantage." Metaknight said, throwing his cape apart.
Little did they know that the enemy was much more powerful than they suspected. They already had something up their sleeve…