Chapter 5: Dream State
The Warp Star landed at the Fountain of Dreams, and Popopo fell off immediately, just like last time.
He got up and walked over to the edge of the fountain. Its multicolored waters were rippling slightly, but none of its fountains were working. The Star Rod was missing from the dome in its center.
"There are fountains similar to this one on other planets in the Starred System," said 'Gooey', "but none of them work, because the Star Rod is what powers them and only one was ever made. It has resided here for as long as I can remember. However, it seems that Dark Matter made King Dedede command his underlings to break it up and give the pieces to those that will guard them. I'm assuming this is the case because my sensors are picking up the locations of seven fragments. The Star Rod is a very powerful device and gives off a unique energy signature. No one could have broken the rod into more than seven pieces. But even as broken as this, the pieces are still detectable by my state-of-the-art technology."
Popopo simply listened, not knowing what to do. Without the Star Rod, Dark Matter couldn't be dealt with, but Popopo knew that the artifact's disappearance had even more significance than that. Dream Land was called Dream Land, and was famous, because the people who lived there always had good dreams. But that was because of the Fountain of Dreams. And now that the fountain wasn't working...
"Uh, Dream Lander, Popopo, what are you... What are you doing?"
Popopo suddenly felt himself snap out of some sort of trance. 'Gooey' had shouted at him. Why? He looked down and realized that he had almost walked off the ground and into the basin where the waters of the Fountain of Dreams were. The fountain was sacred! Swimming in it was forbidden!
He jumped back. What had just happened? Why did he have an urge to enter that water?
"Wait... That's an interesting idea," said 'Gooey'. "If Dark Matter harnesses what power there is left in the fountain... Yes, perhaps we must remove what remains before Dark Matter can. It seems logical that this course of action must be taken to begin your journey."
"My journey?" asked Popopo.
"First things first," replied 'Gooey' in usual smart-alecky tones. "In you go."
There was a split second during which Popopo stood still, puzzled, before he felt a hard shove in the back. He flipped over in the air, toward the Fountain of Dreams. The Warp Star had collided with him and sent him flying. He was so surprised, he didn't inflate to save himself from splashing down in the fountain.
Within seconds, he was gasping for breath at the surface of the water. Dream Landers cannot breathe underwater.
Once Popopo had caught his breath and rubbed his eyes, he noticed that he was floating not in multicolored water, but water that was black and brown... and thicker than normal water. He gasped, creating an unexpectedly tumultuous amount of noise. Head spinning, he briefly sank underwater again in shock. He swam to shore, sputtering.
"So, how was your dip?" asked 'Gooey', his smart-alecky tone still in place.
Popopo would have shot 'Gooey' an annoyed look, but this was still a phone conversation. "Why did you do that?"
"Hold on a moment..." replied 'Gooey'. "Yes... It worked! Popopo, the rest of the fountain's power now resides within you."
"What? No!" Popopo was aghast and confused, unsure what to do with himself. "No one goes in that fountain. I've done a terrible thing. And it's your fault!"
"You haven't done a terrible thing. The fountain granted you this power. This is a starting point for you. With this power, you can defend yourself while searching for the seven Star Rod shards."
"But, I'm not... No... Defend? How?"
"It's likely that my computers will be able to figure out what you are able to do with this power. Either that, or... Wait a moment... An irregularity upon coming back to the surface of the water? I've got it! Popopo, do you see any rocks around?"
"Yeah, there are some..." answered Popopo, perplexed.
"Well, inhale them! Suck them up!"
"Inhale...?" Now he was even more perplexed.
"Yes!"
"Okay..."
Popopo turned toward some rocks on the side of the fountain and drew a deep breath.
The rocks all flew into his mouth! Even though he somehow couldn't taste them, he immediately spat them back out in his intense surprise. They emerged as a star shaped projectile, flew a short distance through the air, and hit a bush, which burst into pieces!
"Excellent! This will be the method by which you'll dispatch your enemies, Popopo. Simply inhale one and shoot it at another!"
Popopo felt trapped. He really didn't want to do this, but he didn't seem to have a choice.
"Here's a new, fully-fueled Warp Star," said 'Gooey' as another Warp Star descended from the sky. The first one had apparently flown off while Popopo wasn't looking. "It will take you to Whispy Woods' Forest, where your search will begin. Due to the elusive nature of Whispy Woods himself, my sensors do not show an exact location for the shard. Good luck!"
Popopo had no idea what Whispy Woods had to do with the shard, but he didn't ask. He just looked at the Warp Star apprehensively. He didn't want to get on. He didn't want to have to search for Star Rod pieces. He just wanted to be home with his friends. But if he didn't do this... he might never be able to see them again.