Kirby and the Rod of Darkness
Chapter 23: A Hearty Party (Valentine's Day Special!)
On the morning of Valentine's Day, Cupid Kirby flew into the main room of the Lor, carrying a box of chocolates and reciting his own poem: "Roses are red, violets are blue, I love chocolate and that is true!" He then proceeded to eat the entire box in one gulp.
"That's not exactly romantic," Magolor commented from nearby.
"Sure it is! Maybe I have a crush on chocolate!"
Susie, who had heard the whole thing, laughed as she entered the room. Today she was wearing the crystal hair clip she'd gotten for Christmas. "They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she said, "I'd say that's definitely true for Kirby!" Even Kirby and Magolor had to laugh at that.
Suddenly the pink puffball looked around, noticing a certain spider-like party member was nowhere in sight. "Hey, has anyone seen Taranza?"
Magolor thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I think I did see him go outside right after breakfast."
The three of them went outside, where they found Taranza sitting on the edge of the ship's deck. He let out a sad sigh, his gaze fixed downward. "Valentine's Day must be hard for Taranza with Sectonia being gone," Magolor told Kirby and Susie.
"Aww," Susie said, "I wish there was something we could do to cheer him up."
An idea formed in Kirby's mind and his expression brightened. "I know! Why don't we have a Valentine's Day party?" he suggested, "We could invite my animal friends-Rick, Kine, and Nago could bring their girlfriends, Pitch could bring his mom, and Chuchu could bring her best friend!"
"That sounds wonderful!" Susie replied, "Perhaps we could even have the party somewhere in Floralia. I bet that would lift Taranza's spirits!"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party started!" Magolor declared, and Kirby and Susie followed him back inside.
A short while later, the Lor descended upon its destination: an unusual land that looked as if it were made of sweets. Giant cookies, cakes, and candies even grew out of the ground! When Taranza, who had returned indoors during the flight, came outside a grin spread across his face at the sight. "This is Lollipop Land, one of Floralia's floating islands!"
Kirby joined him a moment later, followed by Magolor and Susie. Unsurprisingly, the round hero could hardly contain his excitement. He absolutely loved Lollipop Land, especially now that it was peaceful and he was free to enjoy all the amazing sweets it had to offer. "Oh boy!" he said eagerly before he flew over to an enormous cupcake and began munching on it.
Kirby was only able to take a few bites before he heard a voice call out, "Hey Kirby!" He looked up to see Pitch and his mom, who was a pink bird, and Coo flying toward him. Behind them, the rest of the animal friends were floating by holding on to a bunch of red heart-shaped balloons. These included Rick and his girlfriend Pick, a white and pink hamster wearing a red bow; Kine and his girlfriend, a pink fish named Mine; Nago and his girlfriend, a white cat named Shiro; and Chuchu and her best friend Nyupun, a yellow octopus wearing a white hat.
Kirby waved at the group of animals as they came closer, and he jumped down to meet them when they landed. As soon as Chuchu let go of the balloons she leapt onto Kirby's head, looking very content. "Chuchu, you're squishing my halo!" he said to her.
"Oops...sorry," the pink octopus took Kirby's halo out from beneath her and placed it on her head, "I just love riding on your head." The truth was, Chuchu was in love with Kirby even though he only saw her as a friend. He would have wanted Ribbon to be his valentine but she lived farther away, plus he didn't want to get on Chuchu's bad side.
When Taranza rejoined Kirby and the animal friends with Magolor and Susie, he was somewhat surprised by everything going on. "What's all this about?" he asked the others.
"We're going to celebrate Valentine's Day here in Floralia!" Magolor explained cheerfully, "We noticed you seemed a bit sad, so we wanted to cheer you up!"
Taranza smiled, his friends' kindness warming his heart. "Wow, thank you everyone! I really do have amazing friends!"
Everyone decided to have the party inside a large building located nearby; it was an adorably cheery place with the ceiling, walls, and floor resembling colorful puzzle pieces and blocks. Of course, they were careful to avoid the springy hands, collapsing platforms, and bottomless pits that existed in the area-but they were fortunate enough to find a spacious room free from those dangers. The red heart balloons were tied to a pillar so they wouldn't drift away, and Pick and Shiro brought some bouquets of pretty pink roses.
Kirby brought two boxes of chocolate hearts he'd stashed in the Lor, but he was clearly having a dilemma as he stared at them with a frown. "Oh no! How can I resist eating all these yummy chocolates?" he wondered.
"I know how," Magolor said to him, "I think there's a giant chocolate chip cookie outside with your name on it!"
"Yay!" Kirby cheered. Dropping the boxes, he zoomed outside through a large door on one wall.
Now that the chocolates were safe from Kirby's endless appetite, the others (except for Chuchu, who was still practically glued to his head) were able to share the delicious treats. Still, they made sure to save some for Kirby and Chuchu. After that they suddenly heard a loud noise...and looked back to see Kirby returning inside, running atop a giant chocolate chip cookie that rolled like a wheel. Since he was unable to stop, the cookie soon crashed into the wall and crumbled into pieces. Its riders went flying as a result, but Chuchu grabbed the ceiling to stop their fall. "I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles," Kirby remarked.
Fortunately the rest of the celebration went smoothly. Kirby ate all the cookie pieces and shared the remaining chocolates with Chuchu. Kine and Mine swam around blowing heart-shaped bubbles. Rick and Nago had fun using a few of the balloons to float around the room. Everyone was enjoying chatting with one another and watching the antics of their pals. At one point, Susie used her Transporter to move through the air in a heart shape; unfortunately, the trail of dust left by this move faded after a few seconds. "That would be a perfect decoration for Valentine's Day, if only it lasted longer," she said to herself.
After a few hours of fun, everyone decided it was time to go. All the animals except Coo, Pitch, and his mom picked up their balloons and every girl who attended received a rose bouquet. As they all stood outside Pitch's mom told Kirby, "Thank you for the party, Kirby! It was a lovely idea and we had such a wonderful time."
Chuchu was reluctant to get off of her crush's head, but she knew she couldn't act like a hat forever. So, she rejoined the other animal friends and placed his halo back where it belonged. "Bye Kirby! I hope we see each other again soon!"
Everyone waved goodbye when the animal friends began to fly away. "Thanks for coming, everyone! Byyye!" Kirby called out to them.
Kirby, Magolor, Taranza, and Susie soon returned to Dream Land in the Lor. Kirby gobbled up a tasty cherry he'd taken from a giant cupcake, and Susie breathed in the sweet scent of her roses. All four of them were feeling content after having such a nice afternoon. "That party was a great idea for sure," Magolor told his pals, "I'd say it was a success!"
"You really went to all that trouble just for me," Taranza smiled, "You made my Valentine's Day a whole lot better, and I can't thank you enough!"
"We're just glad we could make you happy," Susie answered, approaching him, "After all, you're our friend, and we wanted to show you how much we appreciate you." Then, she surprised him by giving him a kiss on the cheek, which made him blush in response.
Although Magolor was tempted to call the two of them lovebirds again, he decided not to spoil the good mood...at least until tomorrow. Kirby, on the other hand, grinned once he was finished being surprised himself. Valentine's Day is a nice holiday, he thought to himself, a day to let the people you love know just how much you care about them. I love all my friends!
Have a happy Valentine's Day!