Chapter 22
Kirby opened his eyes. He was still suspended on Warp Star, still clutching the relic in his hand. He looked around him, confused. He floated, suspended, in a vast void with nothing in all directions. He saw strangely beautiful colors flicker in and out of his vision, pale reds, purples, greens and blues, all against a dark background of indeterminate color. Tiny white stars flickered in the distance. Kirby's head began to throb. His stomach felt strange all of a sudden, his mind wandering.
He eased himself into a slow pace on Warp Star, trying to figure out where he was. His body began to feel more and more strange as he traveled deeper into the strange realm. He began to sweat profusely, as if he were in a sauna, even though the temperature around him was cool. His eyes darted back and forth. He saw strange shadows dancing in and out of the far edges of his vision. The Star Warrior held his sceptre up threateningly at nothing.
The shadows playing at the edge of his vision grew until he swore there was something out there, just waiting out of sight to get him. At times he heard faint, distorted voices; high-pitched laughter, unintelligible whispers. Kirby felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Dead center in his vision, a white dot appeared. The white dot grew and grew, becoming so massive that it towered over him. Two white wings with red tips swept forward, thin trails of red blood dripping off the feathers and falling into the bottomless void beneath them both. The whispers grew louder, the iridescent streams of color off in the distance beginning to vibrate. A single eye, blood red, opened in the center of the white mass. Kirby held the sceptre over his head, whimpering, as his world began to sway back and forth. It was almost as if what he was witnessing, where he was, was too much for his mind to comprehend. Though he didn't know its name, he was in the grip of the creature known as 02.
Kirby felt a force within his tortured mind again, like the one he had felt in the jungle. This time it was far stronger, slamming into him with a force so great that it caused him to cry aloud. He could feel his mind being torn apart, as if there was a demon seed in his brain ripping away at his sanity. He shook his head violently, overwhelmed by the chaos. Dreams, memories, random passing thoughts all began to muddle and blur in his head, a cacophony of images and noise growing to a deafening volume as the world his eyes saw distorted before him. The thing inside him grew, invisible threads weaving their way through his mind and feeding on his memories. His darkest emotions - fear, pain, anger – surfaced in response to the assault, and as they did the force inside him seemed to feed on it and grow stronger, amplifying his suffering. Kirby's closed eyes squeezed tightly. He realized what was happening, that his grasp on reality itself was slipping. He shut everything else in his mind off, focusing on nothing but the relic. He willed it to protect him, to drive the evil away. Slowly, his entire body shaking from the effort, the relic coursed through his body and into his mind. It grew within, the inner warmth comforting him. Kirby opened his bleary eyes to the vibrating, chaotic world around him. It was then that he noticed a bolt of crimson blood flying towards him, shot from the eye itself.
Kirby waved his arms frantically and tilted Warp Star just out of its reach, the vehicle operating wrongly under his addled mind and turning in a strange way as if he were drunk. 02 shot more strange bolts of bloody energy at him, forcing the Star Warrior to dodge again and again. All this time his mind was still screaming, feeling now as if dark shadowy hands were pulling at his body, scratching his sides and digging its nails into his skin. Kirby resisted the will to bat the shadows away, focusing on nothing but his scepter and the hellish monster that floated in front of him. He charged his scepter and managed to shoot, the beam of holy fire flying towards the white creature. The being hardly flinched as the beam hit him, though it reflexively shut its red eye. Kirby noticed this and, desperately trying to reign in his frantic mind, charged a second shot but aimed for its eye.
The beam hit 02's eye, causing it to reel in pain. Kirby held onto Warp Star as he thought he felt it drop from underneath him, but it hadn't moved. He felt dizzy and increasingly ill, as if he were trapped on an intense carnival ride but couldn't stop it. He focused. Eyes glowing fiercely, he continued to lob shot after shot of energy at 02.
02 blinked in time to miss a few attacks, but still got hit in the eye. Kirby felt a wordless, soundless scream echo through his mind and body, causing his limbs to vibrate. 02 then raised its wings. From its bottom half, a long green tentacle snaked out. This was followed by two more, each one covered in long, hooked spines. Kirby shook his head rapidly again, unsure if what he was looking at was real or another hallucination. The vines then flew through the air towards him, cracking the air like a whip. Kirby dodged several of them, but the third one managed to gash his side. Kirby screamed as the hooked barbs dragged across his pink flesh, a bit of blood whipping out of the wound. Tears stung his eyes, and the pink Star Warrior was forced to crouch on Warp Star. He lifted his quaking hand, the relic still in it, and fired energy beams at the vines. One by one, the undulating tendrils were shot and burned into nothingness.
02 glared at Kirby, unblinking. Without warning it then slashed its wings forward, the bloody tips of its feathers flying towards Kirby as if they were shurikens. The huge feathers were so large that he barely had any time to move; he banked right on Warp Star so hard that he fell off, his jumbled mind unable to concentrate enough to keep him secure on his vehicle.
Kirby tumbled downwards into the blackness, screaming and flailing his arms. He tried to inhale, but the air rushed by too fast for him to get enough air to fly. Warp Star flew off to rescue him, catching the Star Warrior a few dozen feet below where he had fallen. Kirby hit Warp Star so hard that he nearly blacked out, scrabbling with one hand to stay secure on the star as his other hand weakly gripped the relic.
02 continued its relentless assault, shooting another bloody bolt at him. Kirby was clipped by the blast. He felt the bloody force hit him, spraying him with the noxious fluid. It got into his eyes, his mouth, burning like acid. Kirby reeled in pain, overwhelmed. He managed to open one burning eye, glassy with tears, and aimed for the red blur that stood out amongst the white mass. A huge gout of flame erupted from the scepter's tip before a beam of light flew towards 02, hitting it dead center. A single line of blood began to run from 02's eye. Kirby then pressed forward on Warp Star, bleeding from his side, eyes still half-shut and burning. As he flew closer to 02, the chaos within and outside of his mind grew. Heart pounding, the young Star Warrior held his scepter high. He then flew right into 02, suffering a direct hit from another bolt of searing blood in the process, and held his scepter forward. He rammed into 02, Warp Star colliding with its body as the scepter sank into its gigantic red eye.
02 stiffened, wings quivering. It slowly rocked backwards, Kirby still holding onto the scepter for dear life as it remained lodged in the creature. 02 then twitched, spasmed, and exploded. Everything Kirby could see was white; there was no sound. He opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out as the blast hit him. His world winked out into blackness.
Meta Knight and Shieldmaiden continued to fight the onslaught of Waddle Dees. At first, they were able to keep them back. Meta Knight then heard the distinctive sound of a sword unsheathing and turned to see the Captain Waddle Doo, single eye angrily focusing on him. The Waddle Doo charged through the crowd, bowling over his own Waddle Dee allies, and jumped with his sword raised high in the air. Meta Knight dodged, blinking in and out of reality in less than a second through his cape. Waddle Doo fell to the ground and skidded, turning to face Meta Knight with its single brow furrowed in anger. A black crackling energy manifested itself in front of the eye and shot forward, catching Meta Knight by surprise and flinging him back a few feet. The Waddle Doo's natural beam abilities were corrupted by Dark Matter, shooting shadowy lightning instead.
Shieldmaiden noticed her comrade fall and charged forward with her shield, deflecting a second blow from them both. She then held her spear forward at the Waddle Doo, forcing him to withdraw his own sword in close melee range rather than firing more beams of energy. Shieldmaiden feinted before slamming him dead center with her shield, stunning and blinding the Waddle Doo into dropping his sword. Meta Knight rolled on the ground to dodge a spear point that shot downward from a Waddle Dee, standing back to his feet. He could no longer have every blow be carefully delivered to render unconsciousness rather than death; it was now a matter of his own survival. Eyes flashing, he swung his sword around and carved a deep wound into the Waddle Dee that attempted to stab him. The creature slumped forward, bleeding. More Waddle Dees, possessed and unable to feel fear, stepped over their fallen ally and rushed forward at Meta Knight. He continued to dodge, attack, dodge. He felt a spear point clip his side, the blow mostly bouncing off the edge of his mask but managing to pierce the exposed skin right beside it. Meta Knight continued to swing his sword, eyes going red, too pumped by rage and adrenaline to care.
The battered Star Warriors then heard the distinct sound of voices, shouting at them from under the balcony. Shieldmaiden looked over the edge to see the Cappy villagers, shaking their fists and brandishing random weapons such as knives, bats, and brooms. A number of villagers hopped onto the castle's walls and began to climb upwards towards them. As Shieldmaiden watched, she felt a sharp gust of wind as a bullet flew by her. Her eyes grew wide as she witnessed Chief Borun down below, aiming his gun upwards to fire at her. Shieldmaiden quickly ducked back into the balcony, just in time for the stunned Waddle Doo to recover and attack her again with his sword. She continued to bash him with her shield, trying desperately to knock him out without killing him.
All at one, they witnessed the sky flashing white. The black sky suddenly cleared, slowly thinning out like a spent rain cloud. Every single Waddle Dee, Cappy, and the Waddle Doo Captain paused, twitching violently, before falling over one by one. Black smoke oozed from them. Both Star Warriors looked up in surprise, slowly lowering their weapons.
"He did it...Kirby did it." Meta Knight said, voice muted in awe.
Shieldmaiden breathed heavily, exhausted. "Thank the Stars" she said in a quavering voice.
She then looked over to Meta Knight and blanched. The veteran suffered multiple puncture wounds, one of which he was silently holding with an armored glove that was rapidly beginning to tint red. His eyes were dim. Shieldmaiden held a hand to her hidden mouth.
"Sir, you're hurt..."
Meta Knight wrapped his cape around himself, shutting his eyes. With the rush of battle fading, the pain was beginning to hit him hard but he would show no weakness. His eyes opened again, glowing a dim amber.
"Let's find Sword and the others, then go check on Kirby."
"Agreed" Shieldmaiden said with a nod. The two then proceeded into the bowels of King Dedede's castle, stepping over the fainted Waddle Dee bodies and calling out the names of their friends.
Warp Star blinked into existence in the sky where the portal was, Kirby's limp body on it. The star, with zero control from its master, descended rapidly until it tilted forward and sent Kirby and the relic tumbling off of it. Kirby and the two objects tumbled towards the ground, free-falling. They then hit, each one a few meters away from each other. Kirby landed roughly on the grass, bouncing and rolling to a stop. He laid still.
Sword, Blade, Fumu, Bun, and the two Star Warriors stood outside the entrance to Dedede's castle. The Star Warrior's voices ringing through the halls of the keep allowed Sword's group to come out of hiding, and they were quickly reunited. All six had their eyes trained to the sky, straining, trying to find a sign of their friend.
"He should've been back by now..." Bun said, frowning.
"...There!" Fumu pointed at the sky, the others following her gaze. In their sights was Warp Star sharply descending towards the ground in a chaotic, spinning free-fall.
Fumu's heart leaped to her throat. "Kirby's in trouble!"
Meta Knight and Shieldmaiden both spread their wings, taking off wordlessly and flying as fast as they could toward the site. Shieldmaiden lagged a good distance behind Meta Knight due to her wounded wing. Fumu and Bun followed them on foot. Sword rested a hand on Blade's shoulder as they watched the group go, heart growing heavy at the sight. With Blade's leg and side injury he couldn't keep up, and Sword wasn't about to leave him alone.
Meta Knight reached the scene first. Folding his wings, the knight descended rapidly and ran over to Kirby's body. His eyes tracked over his pink, round form frantically. He picked up Kirby's limp arm with his gloved hand, holding it for a few seconds, before letting it drop. He then turned away.
"Sir Meta Knight!" Fumu cried as she reached the scene minutes later, with Shieldmaiden and Bun shortly behind her. She ran up to Kirby, holding him under the shoulders and shaking him.
"Kirby...Kirby, wake up. Wake up!" Fumu screamed, voice raising in alarm with every word.
Bun put a knuckle in his mouth and bit, shoulders shuddering. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"No..." Shieldmaiden spoke softly, dropping her weapons and kneeling down beside him.
Meta Knight remained silent, his back turned to them all.
"No...no! This isn't happening!" Fumu shouted, her own eyes blurring with tears. She then scrambled to her feet and ran a few feet away, kneeling on the ground. She then ran back, sobbing openly, with the relic in her hand.
Kirby's body started to tremble, his pink skin flushing red. His limp body began to shake, limbs jerking reflexively, as an odd series of pops could be heard from the group. Shieldmaiden saluted his form and backed away. She said something in another language, casting her teary gaze upwards.
"It is his time to rejoin the stars" she stated.
"Fumu...Fumu, get out of there" Meta Knight cautioned, his deep voice sounding weary and broken.
Both Star Warriors knew what was happening. When one of their species passed in a violent way, their bodies would explode and float off into the heavens as cosmic dust. The process was almost instantaneous after death, and sometimes happened to the poor creatures while they were still alive and in the process of dying. Meta Knight knew that if Kirby was no more, Fumu could get hurt by standing so close.
"No!" Fumu said, hands clenched into fists and teeth grit. "Not like this. I won't let it."
She picked up the relic, which had reverted into a round golden disc, in her hands. She held it, hands shaking violently, and closed her eyes.
"Please don't let this happen...please...please." she stammered, clutching the relic tight and holding it over Kirby's body. She wished with every fiber of her being that this could be reverted, that Kirby could be saved somehow. Kirby's body continued to redden, twitching more violently. Fumu remained by his side, head dipped and crying. She placed the relic on his convulsing body and held it there, body wracked with sobs.
Fumu suddenly stiffened, as if hit by a lightning bolt. Her green eyes began to glow brightly. She looked at Kirby's fallen body, her own face blank and tears quickly drying, as a strange gold mist began to envelop her. She pressed the relic into Kirby's chest, the golden energy enveloping his tortured body as well. Kirby's twitching slowed, quaking limbs falling limp. His deeply flushed skin began to go pink. The deep gash wound he had sustained slowly stopped bleeding. Fumu held the relic there, both bathed in golden light. Fumu then fell over onto the grass.
"Sis!" Bun cried, running over to Fumu. Fumu looked up at him, her eyes green again. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes with one hand.
Meta Knight watched her, before turning his gaze to Kirby. The pink creature's violent trembling stopped. His chest rose and fell.
Meta Knight's eyes sparked. "He lives."
"Kirby? Kirby!" Fumu exclaimed, throwing his arms around the creature and hugging him. Bun did the same, both crying and burying their faces in him. Shieldmaiden stuck her gloved hand through her helmet to wipe her eyes. She looked to Meta Knight, who quickly looked away from the group and cast his gaze at the grass below him while blinking rapidly several times. Though it could've been a trick of the light, she could swear that his eyes looked glassy.
Kirby stirred. His eyes slowly blinked open, dim and half-lidded. He looked up to see Fumu and Bun's tear streaked faces glancing down at him. He made a small smile, and his hand twitched in an attempt to wave. He felt foggy minded and had a terrible headache, but he was happy to see his friends.
The two gently helped Kirby up, who managed to stagger to his feet. He shook his head, still foggy, then waved to the other two Star Warriors. Meta Knight waved back, a rare gesture for the stoic Star Warrior. He then turned and spread his wings.
"We need to get back to Sword and Blade" he said softly.
Kirby nodded and walked over to Warp Star, holding the vehicle by one pointed tip with his hand. He leveled it out and hopped on board, gesturing for Fumu and Bun to join him.
The two children climbed onto Warp Star as Shieldmaiden and Meta Knight spread their wings.
"We'll have a lot of explaining to do to King Dedede, huh?" Bun mused.
"If anyone asks? A really, really big party." Shieldmaiden suggested, her voice light with mirth.
"I think he'd buy it" Fumu added, wiping her recent tears away and managing a grin.
"We need to find the doctor and get him to place a house call in Dedede's castle" Shieldmaiden added, casting her glance to Meta Knight. Fumu put her hands to her mouth as she noticed the blood; she had been so preoccupied with Kirby, and Meta Knight had done such a good job keeping them concealed within his cape, that she didn't even realize how wounded he was.
"Wow, you weren't kidding."
"I'm fine", Meta Knight said with a hint of annoyed protest in his voice. He had been through many battles. He had suffered worse. His gaze then looked off to the side. "Although...Blade is still in need of one."
Warp Star slowly, shakily lifted off the ground as the Star Warriors took to the air.
"To the castle!" Fumu shouted, pointing forward.
"Poyo" Kirby said with a nod, whisking them off into the air.