Chapter Eight: Risky Plan

Kirby gripped tightly his warp star as he flew side by side with Marx up into the air. The two stopped at the Ice Dragon's eyes as the beast let out a terrifying roar.

"Do your thing, puffball!" Marx encouraged, flying towards the back of the Dragon's head. Kirby nodded.

"Balloon Pop Art!" he announced.

He reached into the air and pulled out a balloon. He blew it up quickly before transforming it into a shape. A Meta Knight shape, to be exact.

He threw it at the Dragon, and it exploded on impact, making the Dragon reel away in shock. Marx fired a couple of arrows at the back of its head, causing it to yell out in pain.

"Fooools..." it hissed, now showing the ability to speak. "I have come heeeere for Kirby and Kiiirby I will get!"

He took a deep breath, obviously about to exhale some icy air at the pink puffball.

"Nope!" Kirby smiled. "Flame Baton!"

He plucked three bowling pin-looking things from under his hat and shook them, setting them on fire. He then juggled them, throwing them at the Dragon's face one after the other.

The Dragon shook its head as each one hit, screeching and howling. The cold air was left in his throat, causing it to burn.

"Ack!" he choked. "I'll geeet you!"

He swung his claw at Kirby, but he just performed a backflip and avoided it.

The pink puffball wasn't able to avoid the backhand, unfortunately, and was knocked off his warp star. Marx quickly teleported and caught him, but lost control and started falling as well. Luckily, something soft caught them.

"He he he..."

On hindsight, maybe unluckily is the right word.

The Ice Dragon closed his hand on the two, lifting them up to his face.

"I got yoooooou now!"

The Ice Dragon laughed for a moment and Fumu, annoyed with it, threw a pebble at it.

"Fumu, that's not going to-"Meta Knight began saying, when all of a sudden the pebble flew into the Dragon's eye and caused him to fling the pair to the ground.

Fumu gasped. What had she done?

Luckily, Marx gained control of his wings again just before they hit the ground, and caught Kirby too.

"That was a close one. We're never going to beat it at this rate! We need a plan B."

The two looked around for anything that could help them. Then they noticed a couple of torches down a hallway.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, puffball?" Marx smiled. Kirby nodded vigorously as he ran off towards them, doing a couple of flips to jump over the holes that the Dragon had made in the ground. Once he got there he compressed the circus ability into his Copy Palette and inhaled the torch.

Instead of using the fire copy ability, however, he compressed it too, before mixing it with circus. He then activated this ability, making the others watch in awe.

The circus hat appeared on his head again, only this time two fiery torches were sticking out the sides.

"Fire Breather Kirby!" he chuckled. "All the acrobatic skills of a clown, with the added heat of fire! Don't burn your eyes with this marvelous display!"

He ran back up to the Dragon with a couple of handsprings, before launching himself into the air. He spun around, breathing fire like he usually would with the fire ability, only this time he rapidly fired flaming bowling pins at the monster. It reeled back and screeched with everybody hit.

"That's the spirit!" Marx laughed, pelting a couple of seemingly harmless seeds at the Dragon's feet.

Fumu was confused.

"Meta Knight, what happened? How can this be?"

Meta Knight rubbed his head thoughtfully.

"Kirby has discovered the ability to compress copy abilities and use them at a later point. It seems he also can now combine copy abilities to make a new one. In this case, Fire and Circus make Fire Breather."

"That's-" Fumu began, but she was caught off guard when the seeds that Marx had scattered burst open and sent thorny rose vines shooting up at the Dragon.

The Dragon was greatly injured now, and Fumu could tell. But it wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"If I'm gooooooing to die, I'll maaaaaake you die with me!"

He started inhaling air again, but this time at a much stronger speed. He was creating a whirlwind and sucking everything up! He knew he would be killed from the inside when he inhaled the fire, but he would kill them in the process!

Meta Knight quickly gathered the children in his cape and pushed them up behind a wall. They huddled together, not wanting to get pulled in. A couple of other people that were in the castle hid behind closed doors, others hid under beds. But Marx and Kirby weren't so lucky. They were out in the open.

Kirby hurriedly stopped his attack, though firing a few pins into the Dragon's mouth. He dropped down and started sprinting away. Marx tried to follow him, only he couldn't. He wasn't going anywhere. In fact, he was going backwards.

"Can't... Push against wind, poyo!" he called.

As he looked back at the Dragon, a plan popped into Marx's head. A risky one, but a plan nevertheless.

He teleported up to Kirby, grabbing him and forcing him to stop running.

"What are you doing?!" Kirby shouted angrily.

"Trust me on this, puffball." Marx assured him. "I know what I'm doing. When I say the word, perform a Fireball Inferno, alright?"

Kirby, though confused, nodded.

Marx let go and teleported up into the air, letting the Dragon inhale them both. The Dragon was surprised, but joyous at the same time. He couldn't believe his luck!

"Now!" Marx yelled, just before they reached inside the mouth of the beast.

Kirby did as he was told, performing a Fireball Inferno right on time. The fire he created poured down the Dragon's throat. Feeling them in his mouth, the Dragon closed it. Big mistake. Instantly after he had done so, the ice in his stomach melted into a pool of boiling water. The Dragon, unable to handle it, burst into flames, leaving nothing but a harmless snowflake which melted on contact with the ground.

Fumu broke away from the huddle and rushed towards the area as fast as she could. She knew that she should be happy that the Dragon had been defeated, but all she could feel was despair.

"Kirby?! Marx?! Where are you?!" She called.

There was no answer for a moment, and Fumu began to worry, but then a sound could be heard above her head.

"Poyo!"

The group looked up. Kirby was standing on Marx's head, and the two floated down safely.

"That was a risky plan, Marx." Meta Knight said, shaking his head. "One more millisecond and you and Kirby would be nothing but a pile of ashes."

Marx just chuckled at this thought.

"Well, we're safe, aren't we?"

Fumu ran up and hugged the two.

"Yes. Yes, you're safe. I'm so happy!"

The others started joining into the hug too, and they somehow managed to get Dedede, Meta Knight and Escargon to join in. And then everybody celebrated Kirby's birthday in peace.

… Well, not everybody.

The figure watched the scene through his crystal mirror. Upon seeing his beast explode, he did the same.

"NO! It can't be! UGH!"

His master clicked his imaginary tongue.

"Patience. Calm yourself. Now, we can always try again. If anything, it's not even your fault. It's his."

The figure who had been looking into the mirror turned sharply to look at the one his master was talking about; the cloaked figure who had sent the beast.

"You better not screw up next time." He snapped to him. "Find another demon beast! And this time, I want that Marx gone too."

The cloaked figure bowed.

"As you wish, my lord…"

The party had ended, and now it was time for somebody to go.

"Are you sure you can't stay, Marx?"

Marx smiled sadly at the Waddle Dee, his eyes sparkling gold.

"Hey. I'll be back. I'm just going to get my own house, that's all. If I'm going to live anywhere, I want it to be somewhere that won't be in danger of being destroyed by giant dragons, okay?" He joked.

Bandanna rushed up and hugged his friend.

"… Okay."

Fumu and her brother watched this sad scene from the gates, along with Kirby, Meta, Dedede, Escargon, Sword, Blade, Lololo and Lalala.

As soon as Marx started to leave, Fumu called out.

"Bye Marx!"

It wasn't long before everybody else started to take up the farewell. Even Meta Knight waved a bit.

"I guess he was the good guy, after all." Fumu thought aloud.

"You can't judge a book by its cover." Her brother reminded her.

"I guess you're right, Bun. I guess you're right…"

Hold on. This can't be the end! What happens next? Who were the mysterious figures? Don't you fret, my dear readers! There will be another episode soon! Watch out for the next instalment: Hoshi no Kaabii New Episodes: Two: Web of Lies and Love. Here's a sneak peek!

"Do you know what I'm thinking girls?" Adeliene asked suddenly. Everybody started at her.

"Do tell." Ribbon muttered.

"Dedede and that friend of his seem pretty… how do I put this?... Cosy, with each other, don't ya think?"

Ribbon, Fumu, Lalala and Bandanna Dee swapped looks.

"No." They answered, simultaneously.

"Oh, come on!" Addie egged. "They're perfect for each other! Did you hear the way they were talking to each other? They're totally in love, even if they don't realise!"

"Adeliene…" Fumu began, but Bandanna cut her off.

"I think you may have a point there."

Fumu looked at him.

"Pardon?!"

Bandanna shrugged.

"I don't know. I just think that it could be a possibility."

He glanced at the painter, before looking back at the girls.

"I don't exactly know how girls work, despite being one myself, but I think that Addie has picked up the signs pretty easily."

"Sure." Lalala giggled. "And the next thing we know, Meta Knight is going to fall in love with Escargon. AKA; completely impossible."