"So, tell me now… Is everything going as planned? …asked Count Bleck." the count asked as all four minions were standing on their platforms. Nastasia was standing on a platform next to Count Bleck.
"Everything's going exactly fine," Dimentio smiled. "However… There is one little flaw to your plan. Apparently I discovered that the heroes themselves managed to get the eighth Pure Heart and get out of the aftergame! How…shocking!"
"WHAT?! …Spat Count Bleck in utter disbelief. Surely these news cannot be true! The ones with my love still live?"
"Ah ha ha. Oh, I'm afraid so, my count. In fact, I believe that they will be here before long." Dimentio sang.
"Whuh? Izzat true, then?" O'Chunks gawked. "What're we doin' twiddlin' our biscuits, 'ere? Count Bleck! Lemme go throw 'em a nice welcome party fer what they did teh Tipral… I'll bring the punch!"
"Ooh, I wanna party with those party poopers, too! Wait up, O'Chunks! Mimimimimimi!" Mimi cackled. "Plus, after what they did to poor Tippy, I wanna make sure they pay for what they've done!"
O'Chunks jumped off the platform and Mimi teleported out of the room using her boxed outline teleportation.
"Hmmmmm… Fine. I suppose I'll help take care of those fools." Dark declared. "Tipral WAS, in fact, the one who helped us become stronger. Although I don't understand WHY you're here, I guess I have no other choice." in no time at all, Dark disappeared out of the room with his cape.
"Well, I'm not one to miss a party…" Dimentio trailed, almost forgetting something. He snapped his finger with a smirk on his face. "Oh, but wait one moment… Dear Count… I almost forgot something! I was wondering if you've heard of a boy named Chopper. He's spherical-shaped and has two antennae."
"Count Bleck does remember someone who looked like that hurting Timpani…" Count Bleck trailed.
"Well, he's not one to worry about. Once he makes it here, surely you can be satisfied by defeating him. But don't try to worry about it. Ciao…my count!" with his teleportation, Dimentio was gone.
"Count Bleck! Ummmm… Do you really think this is necessary? What ever happened to not destroying the whole universe?" Nastasia asked. "I don't really believe that Dimentio's speaking the truth. I think you can put an end to this prophecy!"
"You know not what you are saying, Nastasia. The prophecy can no longer be stopped by Count Bleck. It has come back…and there's nothing I can do to stop it. All that can happen is for Count Bleck to do what the prophecy says…"
"Yeah, I'm on board with what you're saying…but there must be a way. There must… Lord Blumiere!" Nastasia cried.
Count Bleck grinned evilly. "Bleh heh heh heh heh… The man known as Blumiere is not to be spoken about. My poor, sweet Timpani is being tortured by an evil antennaed being named Chopper! Count Bleck cannot let that happen! Only the Dark Prognosticus can stop him now. Nothing more!"
"But…" Nastasia looked at the floor solemnly. "This is not the same Blumiere that I've known…"
"Come to Count Bleck, heroes… If you hope to cause enough emotional harm to Timpani and I, then come… BLEH HEH HEH HEH! BLECK!"
"So, Timpani, what do you want to do next? We haven't done much in this place except for talking. I would certainly like to play a little game."
"You mean a board game or something?"
"No no… Not a board game. Those games usually aren't the greatest. Maybe a little game that we can both enjoy! How about a game of hide and go seek?"
"That sounds like a fun game! What do you do?"
"Basically, you count to ten and you try to find the person hiding. The other person, well, has to hide. I'll count and you can hide."
"OK! I guess I'll hide!"
"All right… One… Two… Three…"
"TIPRAL! There's something out there!"
"Wait… What is it?"
"There's these weird, yellow monster things called Stardies in the lab, and they're going crazy! Can you do something about it?"
"OK… I'll try to stop them. Just… Just leave it to me."
"Now now! What do we have here? This being appears to have such great power… Perhaps I could use that power in the distant future! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
Flipside Tower-
"No! Blumiere! You mustn't!" Tippi cried out, hearing the evil laughter of Count Bleck in her mind. "Darling… How could you… Oh… Darling… You… Why…"
"Tippi snap out of it, will ya?!" Blade snapped. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Poyo? (Did I just hear her say the word 'darling'?)" Kirby gawked.
"…What?!" Tippi was lying on the floor, remembering a tragic moment. Kirby, Sonic, Blade and Tipal were looking down at her with a confused look. Tipral seemed to be the most confused.
"Are you all right?" Sonic asked.
"Um… It's all right… I'm sorry for startling you all…" Tippi trailed.
"Excuse me, but did you just cry out for someone named 'Blumiere'?" Tipral asked.
"It's nothing really… I just… I thought I heard someone taking over the Dark Prognosticus. I could hear a horrible laugh. It went something like, 'Bleh heh heh heh! Bleck!' It felt horrible…"
"Count…Bleck?"
"Wait… How do you know this?"
"I once heard about a man named Count Bleck before…" Tipral trailed. "While I was stuck in that one world, I overheard someone speaking of someone named Count Bleck. I don't know who the person was, but I knew that I heard it from somewhere before."
"Well, that's weird… Are you saying that the person holding that book is someone called Count Bleck?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Strange… Well, anyway, maybe we should go back to Merlon's and tell him we've got the eighth Pure Heart!"
"Yes, I agree with Sonic. I think we should go back to Merlon's…" Tippi noticed Chopper wasn't here. "Wait… Where's Chopper? Wasn't here a minute ago?"
"Poyo, (He's over there,)" Kirby said, pointing over by the elevator. Chopper was sitting over by the edge of the tower, holding the white Pure Heart. "Poyo. (I think he's still sad about losing his girlfriend.)"
"Oh… He's still a bit sad? Poor little kid… Maybe we should talk to him…" Tippi suggested.
"I couldn't care less," Tipral stated, folding his arms. "I'm actually glad we're rid of that brat once and for all! She deserved to transform into a little heart after treating us like pathetic servants!"
"Tipral, this is not how you should be acting… Why do you need to be so insensitive?! She may have flustered me, but it doesn't mean that she deserved to be sacrificed!"
"Tssh! Your words don't do a thing to me, you stupid little butterfly!" Tipral flicked Tippi away from him. "All I care about is getting that scepter back and getting back to destroying the universe!"
"Poyo? (Then why are you with us?)" Kirby asked.
"The Pure Heart is the only thing that can help me get back to my castle. But just leaving you guys in the castle won't do any good. There are some rooms that might not be easy for me to get through, so having you guys help me will work much better."
"We're not here to help you, though! We're trying to save the universe from The Void!" Sonic shouted. "…But I think we're really getting off-topic here. We should go over to Chopper and cheer him up."
"Poyo! (Of course! I'm the best when it comes to cheering people up!)" Kirby cheered.
Kirby, Sonic and Blade walked over to Chopper. They noticed that he was still holding the white Pure Heart in his arms, like he was cherishing it for the rest of his life. Like it was something close to him.
"Chopper… I understand why you're sad. …But, things like this tend to happen, right?" Sonic asked, putting his hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I know that…" Chopper trailed, not even looking at Sonic. "I never knew Luvbi was a Pure Heart this whole time… And what happened after we beat Shade. What happened to her kind of reminds me of what happened to me. By that, I mean she never had any parents. I know I can relate to that and all… But she cared about me, and I find it sad for people that are close to me to sacrifice themselves…"
"Did your parents…sacrifice themselves?" Tippi asked.
"I was told by Meta Knight that there was only one ship left. I don't know why I was the one taken onto it, but I know for a fact that they couldn't do anything else about it. My parents depended on me to stop Maquano…at only four years old."
"Poyo… (Wow… That's a bit sad…)" Kirby trailed.
"And now it makes me feel even worse that Luvbi died. She doesn't really have any parents, just like me. Well, I HAD parents, but not anymore. Is this what the world's meant to be like? Filled with such sadness?"
Blade stepped up over to Chopper. "I understand that you lost you're girlfriend and all…"
"I never said she was my girlfriend, though!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know you were going to say that… But, I can relate to something with your girlfriend dying. You see… I once lost my girlfriend. It was tragic. Very tragic."
"You never told me you once had a girlfriend…"
"Well, now I'm telling ya. You see… She ended up dying too. Luvbi kind of reminds me of how my girlfriend died from being hit by a train. I swear… Why didn't she just turn her iPod off while walking on the train tracks?! …But honestly, I don't think your girlfriend's dead. She said she was, in fact, the Pure Heart. So, you're technically holding Luvbi right now."
Chopper looked back at the Pure Heart. It almost looked like he could see the spirit of Luvbi appear before him.
"Savest the world for me, my sweet prince!" the spirit of Luvbi said before disappearing.
"Wait! Come back!" Chopper cried, only to find her disappear. "She's gone…"
"What are you talking about? I didn't see anything…" Sonic trailed.
At this moment, Tipral knew he had to speak up. He walked over to Chopper.
"Listen, Chopper… I think this is all my fault." Tipral stated.
"What?"
"I said this is all MY fault! And no, don't go, 'It's not your fault that Luvbi's dead!' It IS. You wanna know why?"
Everyone looked a bit curious. "You see… The reason the Purity Heart split was because I found it and split it into twenty pieces. I'm sure that something happened to Luvbi that transformed her back into a Pure Heart. And… Well, I guess Grambi and Jaydes discovered this and kept it a secret."
"So… You're the one who caused this. Are you saying…?"
"Luvbi USED to be a real Nimbi. It doesn't appear to be like that now. But, I bet that bratty girl would want you to stop crying and help save the universe, right?"
Chopper got up. "Fine… We might as well make our way back to Merlon's house. Although… Don't expect me to be happy about it."
Merlon's house-
"So… We have gathered eight Pure Hearts and four of the heroes, it seems…" Merlon trailed. "…Although, I'm not quite sure if Tipral would be qualified as a hero…"
"Don't call me a hero," Tipral warned. "I'm not truly here to help you guys."
"Well, hopefully we can stop The Void and keep all worlds safe! …Just like what most people want." Sonic said while giving a thumbs up.
"Poyo, (Though, I don't think we have much time,)" Kirby said with a worried look. "Poyo… (All of those poor worlds soon might be devoured by the evil void…)"
"Kirby's right. We don't have much time…" Chopper trailed. "Some worlds might be getting destroyed soon…"
Everyone paused when they heard mumbling. It was coming from Tippi.
"…What troubles you, Tippi?" Merlon asked.
"The prophecy… Do we really have to destroy the one who's now taking control of the Chaos Heart?" Tippi asked.
"Much of the dark prophecy has already come to pass…but stop it we must. Though it was Tipral who brought the Chaos Heart back, I do not think he is the one we can destroy now… If we destroy the one who has now taken control of it, the prophecy's power will wither, and all worlds can avoid their ends."
"Good… So these people don't think I'm a huge threat…although that might change." Tipral thought.
"Tippi, it sounds like something is bothering you. What's wrong?" Blade asked.
"My dear… Was there something between you and this new person?" Merlon asked.
"Umm… No, nothing… It was nothing… I'm fine! Let's go!"
"Very well, then," Merlon turned his attention back to the heroes. "Once again, your first task is to set this Pure Heart in a Heart Pillar. Once you've done that, head back to Flipside Tower. I'm sure the door will be there this time…"
"OK…" Chopper frowned, looking at the white Pure Heart in his hands.
"Chopper, something seems to be bothering you… Is there a connection between you and this Pure Heart?"
"Merlon… Is it possible for Pure Hearts to have…emotions?"
"Mmmmmmmm… That's not something I know of…" Merlon trailed. "Why do you ask a question like that?"
"Well… It's because this Pure Heart was once this Nimbi girl named Luvbi. And, well… I know for a fact that she has emotions. Sometimes, I can hear her voice within this thing…" Chopper frowned. "It still makes me a bit sad."
"Hmmmmmmmm… That's very interesting… A Pure Heart that's able to speak. What is she saying to you?"
"I can hear her telling me that she loves me and wants me to place her in the Heart Pillar. That's what she's telling me…"
"Well, if that's what she's telling you to do…then I suppose you must do that. I can feel her saying this as well…"
"All right, if that's what I need to do, then I might as well do it," Chopper turned to his friends. "Come on, guys. We need to place this Pure Heart in its rightful place."
Flopside, 2nd floor, Outskirts-
"Poyo! (Chopper! I can see the Heart Pillar over to the right!)" Kirby pointed over to the right while floating up in the air.
"Hey… I remember that Heart Pillar! …Though, it wasn't there before." Chopper jumped over the stone platforms and made his way over to the Heart Pillar. It was a pure white color, unlike the other Heart Pillars.
"Wow… This is a beautiful Heart Pillar…" Tippi trailed. "Go on, Chopper… Place the Pure Heart in its Heart Pillar…"
"All right…" Chopper pulled the white Pure Heart out. "Luvbi… This is what you want me to do, right? Well… I guess this is our final goodbye."
He tossed the Pure Heart in its Heart Pillar, causing a white clock to appear before them. They knew something was going to happen over by Flipside Tower, that's for sure.
"So… What exactly happened?" Blade asked.
"There's something that happened at Flipside Tower," Tipral stated. "I suggest we go back there."
"All right…" Chopper jumped onto the stone pillar, but turned back to the pillar and gave one last goodbye to the Pure Heart before jumping past the other stone pillars.
"So, the time has come…" all five of them stopped when they saw Nolrem over by the pathway to go back to Flopside.
"This guy… He looks a lot similar to that Merlon person…" Tipral trailed.
"Heroes, the eighth door is at the top of Flipside Tower by the seventh door! I wish I could go there, but sadly, I don't I will be able to… Merlon will be waiting up there for you, however. Once you've prepared for the battle that waits beyond that door, head back to Flipside Tower."
"Then we'll take a shortcut," Chopper pulled the Return Pipe out. "This should take us to Flipside Tower easily."
Flipside Tower-
"So I see you've finally arrived…" the five noticed Meta Knight was waiting over by a light gray door next to the purple door. "So this is the door that leads to Castle Tipral, is that true?"
"Yes, it will lead to my castle," stated Tipral as he walked over by the door. Merlon was also waiting by the door.
"I can't believe that this time has already come…" trailed Merlon. "You guys have worked hard to gather eight of the Pure Hearts and open the door to Castle Tipral. I wish I could go through this door with you, but sadly, I am unable to."
"I know you guys can do it. I want to help you guys on your way, but without my sword, I am powerless." Meta Knight said.
"Thanks for all of the help, you two," Chopper thanked.
"Poyo! (We couldn't have done this without you guys!)" Kirby cheered.
"Have no fear! We'll make sure we take care of what's through here!" Sonic smirked, waggling his finger.
"Whoever's holding the Chaos Heart now, I'll make sure we stop him once and for all," Blade said with honor.
"I'm only doing this for my own reasons…" Tipral trailed.
"Tippi…" Merlon began. "I don't know what's in your mind, but… If this is too hard for you, please feel free to stay behind."
"No… I'm going…" Tippi refused. "I've decided. I must do this!"
"Tippi, you've changed much. You've grown so strong… So! Be sure to return safely to me!"
"I will, Merlon." She turned to the five. "Let's go! Let's stop the Chaos Heart! Let's save all these worlds from destruction!"
"All right, then let's do this!" Chopper declared, only to get interrupted by more violent shaking. "…At a time like this?"
"It doesn't seem like there is much time," Meta Knight looked up at the sky and saw the huge size of The Void.
"In that black span of nothing, you will find Castle Tipral," Merlon explained. "You may face battles harder than any you have endured thus far… If you feel ready to face this challenge, then please go forward."
"You guys ready?" Chopper asked. The rest of the four gave him a nod. "All right! Then let's go!"
All five made their way through the gray door. All they knew was that they didn't have as much time to stop The Void from devouring everything.
"Chopper... Kirby... Sonic... Blade... And even you, Tipral... Be strong." Meta Knight said.
"And you too, Tippi..." Merlon added.
After finding the eight Pure Heart, the band of heroes set off for Castle Tipral. The stakes were high as the ominous void grew larger and the end drew near. Could Chopper and friends stave off the inevitable and overturn the prophecy? What strange twist of fate awaited Tippi and Count Bleck - despite the heroes not knowing that Count Bleck was controlling the Chaos Heart? These thoughts plagued the minds of our heroes as the curtain rose on the final act…
You're probably wondering, "But Mech! Wasn't the door that led to Castle Bleck in Flopside Tower? Why is it now on Flipside Tower?" Well... Things will be explained later. Not in Chapter 8, though. A bit later in the story...or a couple of chapters later. So, don't worry about asking me that question, all right?
Next up: All five finally go to Castle Tipral, but with all of the traps in there, how will they managed to get through the castle? Well... You'll find out.