Chapter 19
Warp Star flew through the air, still far below its usual speed for the sake of its passengers and the two Star Warriors who were forced to fly behind it. Neither Shieldmaiden nor Meta Knight felt truly ready for a marathon flight after their ordeal, but they didn't have a choice. At least Shieldmaiden's wings weren't used during the swim and Meta Knight's wings were connected to his inner energy; if they relied on his physical capabilities, after suffering from low oxygen by near-drowning, there was no way they'd stay spread the entire flight.
Kirby quietly piloted Warp Star, looking forward. His eyes continued to glow as he exerted his will over the vehicle through the relic, making sure to keep everyone steady. He knew that if his concentration wavered for one second that Blade, who was unable to hold on, could go tumbling off and fall to his death. Kirby could feel the relic in his hand as he held it; it felt almost as if it were a part of his body, a phantom extension of his hand. The power contained within it seeped through in slow, controlled doses as its holder kept it in check. He could tell that this strange disc could grant him everything he wanted, that he could use the same power safely holding his friends to make every single watermelon lift off of the farmer's fields and float in a line to his house. The tempting thought crossed his mind as he flew, further reminding him of how hungry he was. Kirby's brow furrowed further, exhaling forcefully. His strongest urge at the moment was to get his friends home safely and to defeat Dark Matter. That was all he wanted in his heart; his other needs were secondary. That was all he would allow the relic to do for him.
Sword held onto Warp Star while sitting closely to his friend, Blade. The wound had stopped bleeding, but every single bump and jostle radiated through the wounded knight's entire body. He grit his teeth. He would not show any weakness. Sword remained focused, scowling under his mask. Dark Matter threatening his adopted homeland was bad enough, but to possess him and cause his body to attack Blade was unforgivable. Sword was usually more even-tempered than his friend, often being the one to calm Blade down, but this situation was one of the few things that could send him into a deep, seething rage. He would do anything to stop Dark Matter, and even the being's disgusting approach of using innocents as meat shields wouldn't get in his way.
Fumu and Bun stayed silent, hair whipping around far less on their return trip thanks to Kirby's strange magic. This allowed them to fully appreciate the vista spread under them, the endless forest of trees broken up by a light, fluffy cloud as they flew around or under them. Neither child could fully enjoy the sight, too deeply troubled by their upcoming confrontation with Dark Matter. While Kirby's newfound power was obvious, they also knew that they were up against something big. This wasn't a mere "ball" of Dark Matter, who still nearly killed several members of their group despite having a tiny fraction of its parent's power. This was the nucleus of Dark Matter itself, the force so powerful that it would be a matter of days before its dark influence spread over all of Popstar.
As Meta Knight flew, his thoughts drifted towards Dark Matter and the battle they were about to endure. His gloved reached for Galaxia, hand grazing over its hilt. He wasn't sure who or what he was going to fight, but with Kirby distracted by Dark Matter itself it would be up to him and the other warriors to cut down his possessed minions. This wasn't a regular battle with willing soldiers as the opposition, or even Demon Beasts; this was one involving possessed innocents, many who would end up wounded or even killed. The thought of raising his sword against them sickened him. It reminded him of what he had to do to Knuckle Joe's father, Jecra. Still, there was no choice; if they didn't fight back against Dark Matter's makeshift army, they could get killed themselves.
Meta Knight thought quietly as he flew, already considering tactics for the fight ahead. He figured the possessed Cappy citizens could be easily subdued and knocked unconscious without killing them, considering they were all civilians. The King's Waddle Dees, each one holding a spear and at least somewhat trained for combat, would be more of an issue. His amber gaze fell upon Shieldmaiden as his thoughts continued, noting that she was without her own spear and held nothing but a shield at the moment. He had no idea the weapon was missing until just then; his last memories before being rescued was her swimming a short distance away from him, spear held out in front of her. He reasoned she must have dropped it during the dive. Just thinking of that set of memories sent a deep chill through the Star Warrior's spine. He wouldn't want to venture near anything deeper than chest-level for a while after that.
Meta Knight's mind then drew deeper into his near-death experience. Forcing himself to dredge up rather than bury such traumatic thoughts, a morbid curiosity caused him to recollect the very first thing he could remember. His eyes then widened as he realized the female was giving him mouth to mouth. He shut his eyes, grimacing as his hidden cheeks tinted slightly. He had allowed himself to wonder occasionally what it would be like to press his lips against hers, and then it actually happened in a manner that involved crying and vomiting. He was sure there was a grim joke about his love life in there somewhere.
Meta Knight's eyes flickered a light green as he glanced at her again, angling his wings in a V to dip downward and dodge a cloud so thick it would've certainly caused turbulence. He couldn't help but wonder, though the thought was silly, if they'd ever get to press their lips to each other again under less ugly circumstances. His heart leaped at the thought, cheeks reddening further. Though still terribly embarrassed and ashamed of thinking of a friend in such a way, perhaps even moreso now, he was unable to deny his feelings to himself any longer. The strange taboo thrill of privately nursing such thoughts was far more pleasant to dwell on than the ugly battle they were about to partake in.
Warp Star and the two winged warriors continued to fly, passing the borders of the jungle and soaring over the sea. Though they were still quite a distance away, they could all make out the landmass of Dreamland's borders long before making landfall. A dark, black stretch of cloudy sky, looking like a massive tornado formation, hung above every inch of Dreamland's visible border from their perspective.
Bun frowned, feeling goosebumps from something other than the wind rushing over them. "Looks like a really mean storm..."
Fumu nodded quietly. They were flying straight into the dark mass, like pilots flying into the eye of a hurricane. Eventually, the deceptively calm land and its dark, looming shadow grew larger in their view as they hurtled towards it. Kirby saw the mass of Dark Matter and tensed, gripping both Warp Star and the relic harder. He wanted so badly to hurtle towards it at top speed, which would have cut the entire travel time into minutes, but with his passengers on board that would be impossible.
Within a few more minutes, they finally passed over the lip of the cliff and onto the grounds of Dedede's castle. Kirby lowered Warp Star, preparing to land. Warp Star gently floated downwards, closer and closer, until it neatly landed only a few feet from the back entrance to Dedede's castle. As soon as the Star hovered a foot from the ground the yellow glow in Kirby's eyes vanished, the golden mist surrounding the group disappearing. All at once everyone flopped off the star, Blade included. He instinctively rolled off of Warp Star at an angle that would protect his wound, but the light fall still caused him to yell in pain. Fresh blood began to ooze from the wound, its light scarring being torn back open from the sudden movement.
Sword and Fumu held Blade up. Meta Knight landed and, breathing heavily from exertion, wrapped himself up in his cape while facing the group.
"We have minutes until Dark Matter realizes we're here..if we're lucky." Meta Knight said. "Fumu, Bun, Sword - take Blade to a restroom that has a First-Aid kit. Clean and bandage him up as well as you can. You did a great job keeping him stable in the jungle, but freshwater won't prevent an infection. After that, find a more secluded place to hide. Sword... scout ahead of them, and eliminate anyone who gets in your way. It's the only way to keep your whereabouts a secret."
Sword nodded grimly.
"Shieldmaiden, you and I will have to deal with any minions that come to Dark Matter's aid. The second Kirby goes off to fight them the Waddle Dees are probably going to pour out from every room in the castle. The villagers probably won't be far behind."
Shieldmaiden nodded in response, gaze hardening. "Yes, Sir. I can make due with a shield just fine until the first person comes along with a weapon."
Meta Knight nodded tersely. "Good." He then turned to Kirby. His eyes began to glow blue; every day he watched the little boy, his strength and discipline seemed to grow. Without Kirby, none of this would have been possible.
"Kirby." Meta Knight said. Upon hearing his deep voice, Kirby turned to look at him questioningly. To his surprise, the stoic veteran gave Kirby a salute.
"Good luck."