Happy New Years, everyone! I couldn't get this one done by 12, but I at least finished on New Years Day. So here's to a good 2024. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
-Joost
Shattering the Stars
Chapter 8: Try
Vile plumes of smoke and the stench of ash reigned on the group's senses as they slowly made their way through the remains of Cappy Town. Dawn had just broken out among the horizon, yet it was as uncheerful as a graveyard. The newborn necropolis exuded a sense of displeasing curiosity as Link, Kirby, Meta Knight, his protégés, Tael, and Landia scoured it.
Meta Knight knelt down and picked up a piece of rubble, inspecting it. Gingerly, he looked it over, deducing that it was the result of blast damage. A piece of a building had been struck by a cannon, assaulted with a stick of dynamite, or blown apart by some other, powerful force. Either way, it confirmed what the knight had feared. This town, the parallel Cappy Town, had been razed by a malevolent force. A fire accident could not cause such damage. Dropping the piece of stone, he continued on.
Link noticed a slice of blue coming from under a pile of debris. Pulling the object from the mass, it crumbled apart, reduced to ash. Looking at what he had in his hands, Link made out the emblem of Dedede, although oddly, it was rimmed with purple instead of the red Kirby recognized. The cloth was a mere tug away from ripping apart, its fabric stretched as far as it could.
"What the hell happened here?" Link said aloud, caring not if any of his more innocent companions heard him. The chilling stillness of the town, the absence of life, and the lack of an enemy made the hairs on his neck stand straight.
"Something far worse than we could've ever imagined, I reckon…" Sword Knight muttered, stepping carefully between the splintered wood and crisped stone.
The group soon found themselves where the park at the center of Cappy Town would've been back in Kirby's home realm. Now, it was nothing but an expanse of blackened, smoldering grass and a layer of soot. All the evidence of lush foliage had been purged away, set ablaze by an army unknown to the team. Kirby, taking it all in with sorrow, walked slowly through the mess, never uttering a word. His mind raced as he wondered how strong Shatterhand must've been to accomplish such destruction.
"The castle, or what's left of it, is up ahead," Meta Knight pointed to the distant hilltop that overlooked the sea. He turned back to the rest of the group, silently asking who wanted to join him on the trek, knowing that it'd take an inflexible heart to not be overcome with grief.
Only Link and Kirby stepped forward, willing to face whatever horrors they were destined to witness. Sword Knight, Blade Knight, and Tael just looked away with shame, fearing they'd crack. Besides, someone had to continue the search for life in the ruins of the town.
Meta Knight sighed, "Very well. Landia," He approached the dragon. "Take to the sky and search as best you can. You're our only means of reconnaissance with Magolor tending to the Lor. See if you can find the culprit of all this, or at least a clue."
Landia nodded determinedly, and he leaped into the air and took off, flying up and out of sight in only seconds. A harsh boom rang through the air as he easily broke the sound barrier in his haste, an unseen smile forming under Meta Knight's mask. He was glad that Landia, the unmoving guardian of Halcandra, cared enough to fly at such speeds for this cause. Sadly, that small grin faded as the knight looked towards the leftovers of what he hated to recognize as Castle Dedede.
The unnerving absence of fauna and nature couldn't be comprehended. The trio of warriors secretly wished that a chirp from a sparrow or cricket could break the silence, but their wishes fell on deaf ears. Danger surrounded them like a python coiling its prey, squeezing the life out of it. It was just a matter of when the pressure would become too much.
The pathway to Castle Dedede was nearly unrecognizable, yet that familiar bend just before it delved into the upward slant of the hill was still present. It was a scary thing to acknowledge that this world, this Pop Star, wasn't so different from the one the three were accustomed to. As they neared the inert, scorched remnants of the once regal ground, the extent of the damage was clear. A nauseous, green hue appeared on Link's cheeks as he fought not to gag at what he saw, while Kirby was almost brought to tears.
The drawbridge was completely gone, its remains trapped in the dried-out moat that was filled to the brim with the corpses of the Waddle Dees. They lay lifeless in the sullied soil, their normally vibrant, orange color a revolting, deathly pale. A small swarm of bugs zipped around the mass of death, their buzzes filling the air as Meta Knight fell to his knees.
"This," croaked the knight, quickly losing his words. His tongue was dry, and his hands were shaky, yet he took off his mask, bowed his head, and quietly lamented the loss of such dedicated servants. Meta Knight's face was unseen by Link and Kirby as he mourned.
Link forced his bile down his throat, refusing to defile the area even further with his sickness. All three of them knew that if these Waddle Dees were anything like the ones they trusted, they fought till the very end. To the Dees, their lives hardly mattered to what they served, whether it was a king or a cause. While they were offered lives of comfort, they were just fine with the ones they already had, grateful for purpose.
"My apologies," Meta Knight said, recollecting himself after putting his mask back on. "Come, we need to scout out the castle."
Link and Kirby followed Meta Knight without question, jumping from one edge of the moat to the other. Uncomfortably, they began their survey of the totaled palace, with a smidge of hope coming with them as they searched for any kind of survivors. Although, with the carnage that lay at the bottom of the moat, seeds of doubt that they'd find anyone sprouted like weeds.
There wasn't much to find, just charred tapestries, melted gold, and other, former treasures. Everything was gone, the foundation of the castle being what remained. Pouring through the land like water down a river, sunlight came, bathing the three who dared to search the regal ruins.
Meta Knight plucked rubble with Galaxia, moving it out of his way and shaking it off his sword. He created a rhythmic sound of stone flying into a pile, Link just a couple feet away, adding to that same pile as he searched.
"Find anything yet?" Link shouted.
"No, I'll tell you when I do," Meta Knight replied, his voice soft. Link just shrugged and continued to look around, grabbing stones with his hands and chucking them over his shoulder, right into the pile behind him.
That rhythmic sound of palm-sized debris hitting the pile and clunking onto the ground was distracting, but it at least kept Link's mind off what he'd already seen. It'd been an eternity since he'd gazed upon the horrid visage of demise. He wished he would never have to again, the prospect of fatherhood lightening his life before the spectre of heroism clung to his soul yet again. Link shook his head, clearing his mind, throwing another stone behind him. He expected to hear another clunk, Meta Knight getting rid of rubble too, but it never came. Odd.
"Everything alright, Meta Knight?" Link asked. But there was no response. "Meta Knight?" He repeated, this time louder. Still no response, but now Link's ears perked up, his senses going on alert.
"Meta Knight?!" Link left his clearing and ran back, skidding to a stop when he saw the knight. The lone swordsman's back was facing Link, stunned, staring at the ground.
"What is it?" Link asked, walking up beside Meta Knight. "What'd you find?"
"It…" Meta Knight's words were forced, disbelief holding his tongue. "It's impossible." The knight averted his eyes, sticking Galaxia into the ground and falling to his knees again. He shuddered.
A large stain of glittering matter taunted Meta Knight as he lost all composure. Link stood confused as the normally noble warrior next to him broke down. Backing away, Link went to fetch Kirby, as Meta Knight tore off his mask and collapsed on the ground in sorrow.
"Kirby? Hey, Kirby, where are you?" Link yelled out, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Poyo?" Kirby chirped from atop a mound of what was formerly a set of furniture. He hopped off it and onto the ground, following Link as he guided the Star Warrior back to Meta Knight.
Dread wrapped its icy fingertips around Kirby before he even reached Meta Knight. A foreign feeling came to his heart and trapped it in a cage, confusing Link ever more. All he could do was watch as the two warriors came down with some bizarre condition, incapacitating them and leaving them nearly helpless.
"A Star Warrior…" Meta Knight tried to explain, "One was slain here. At this… this very spot." Slowly, but surely, the knight stood back up, his eyes locked on the stain just inches away from his face. "Shatterhand… He will pay for this!" Hints of uneasy rage were present in his voice as he cloaked himself with that same old veil of solitude.
Link's eyes widened considerably, finally understanding the weight. He then sighed and folded his arms and looked down, seeing too much of himself in Meta Knight. A slew of painful memories returned to the boy, and he thought of how he once coped with death. Unhealthy, bottled rage and needless violence. Time felt like a flat circle at that moment, and with haste, he conjured up a way to stop history from playing out that way again, only with another swordsman behind the blade.
"You know, Meta Knight, it's alright," Link began, before being interrupted.
"Have you ever lost a loved one, Link?" The knight snapped, sounding harsher than he intended. The hero in green stepped back in shock, startled by the question. He took a moment to respond.
"Yes," Link said, instinctively retreating into his shell, a habit he thought he'd long outgrown.
"How did it feel?"
"It felt…" Link hesitated, "It felt like a part of me died. My friend, the one that I lost, died right in my arms. I… I felt helpless. It felt useless to try. But as I saw the life fade from his eyes," Link's voice became choked with emotion, "He told me not to let fear make my decisions, some advice that I once gave him. But I didn't listen. I let the anger and grief take me, and I did things that I now regret. I killed just to ease the pain, but it didn't relieve me of it."
Meta Knight fell silent, dwelling on Link's words, absorbing them carefully.
"I still think about him sometimes," Link added painfully. "I let him go a long time ago, but I still wonder if he'd be ashamed of what I did in my sorrow. But it reminds me to never let myself be consumed by that feeling," He took a heavy breath, "And it reminds me that it's okay… it's okay to cry."
Those words repeated in Meta Knight's head over and over again. Like a broken record, it looped. It's okay to cry.
A single tear rolled down Meta Knight's cheek and dripped off his face, landing on the burnt soil. It brought the slightest bit of life back to the ground, however impossible to see. He stood up straight and removed his mask again, wiping his face before putting it back on. It'd been some time since he let a tear leave his body. It felt nice.
"Please forgive me, Link," Meta Knight softly pleaded, walking up and staring into the hero's eyes. "I let myself become overwhelmed, and I deeply apologize."
"There's no need to apologize," Link stated maturely, looking at Kirby. He too was crying, and he went and hoisted the pink puffball up onto his own shoulders, like a father with their child. "I think we've found all we could here."
"Agreed," Meta Knight said, smiling underneath his mask as he saw the paternal interaction from Link towards Kirby. "Let's regroup with the others, see if they had better luck than us."
Link and Kirby nodded happily and joined Meta Knight as they left the horrible memory.
Before the trio even reached Cappy Town, they lit up at what they saw. Three Cappies, alive and well, being tended to by Sword Knight and Blade Knight. Tael had already exhausted himself using his limited healing abilities, but he did his best and was granted some rest before trying again.
"Poyo poyo!" Kirby cheered, ecstatic that survivors had been found. He jumped from Link's arms and dashed the rest of the way back to town, smiles growing along Link and Meta Knight's faces.
"Oh, Link, there you are!" Tael noticed the signature 'poyo' from the pink puffball and correctly assumed that Link was present as well. He flew up and reunited with his friend. "So, you guys find anything up there?"
"Uh… not exactly, but we're alright, don't worry," Link almost chuckled at the thought, but he didn't reside with it as he approached the sole survivors of Cappy Town's siege. He spoke to them gently, knowing they had no knowledge of who he was, "Are you guys alright? You look like you've been through war."
"That… That's putting it lightly, sir," one of the Cappies mumbled, holding her bruised shoulder. Blade Knight was bent down next to her, wrapping her small foot in gauze.
"We only survived because we hid first, I say! I only wish I could've offered others sanctuary." The second Cappy yelped; thankful but remorseful that his house was one of the few with a basement. The third and final Cappy just nodded, sharing the sentiment of their fortunate housing.
Link stood and looked around at the scourge of Shatterhand. His mouth hung open with haunting awe as the realization dawned upon him. Was this truly all that was here for them to find? No trap meant to ensnare them, no battle to be fought, no fiend to apprehend. Just this.
"We were played," Link realized. The others turned to face him.
"Poyo?"
"How so, Link?" Meta Knight asked.
"Earlier you were certain that the signal the Lor picked up meant that Shatterhand set a trap for us here. But it wasn't a trap," Link seemed mortified. "It was a statement."
"Poy-poyo poyo! Poyo!" Kirby easily caught up with Link's sudden suggestion, adding his own thoughts. Link and Tael still couldn't figure out what the little hero was saying, but Meta Knight thought about it. "Poyo poy," Kirby finished.
"Yeah, Link, I think you're right!" Tael interjected, a spark lighting the candle of his mind. "This guy, Shatterhand, didn't lead us here to fight! He lead us here to show us this, all of this! He wanted to show us what he can do."
"Kirby's thoughts exactly, Tael," Meta Knight started, "My comrades, I fear you're right. In my haste, I quickly surmised that it was a trap. I was wrong. Your hypothesis is likely to be correct, and Shatterhand has proved to be a few steps ahead of us."
"Uhm, hey, over here! Excuse me?" One of the Cappies piped up, raising her arm into the air as if to answer a teacher's question. The others faced her inquisitively, interests ablaze. "That 'Shatterhand' you mentioned, are you guys… you talking about the man that attacked us? The man with the deformed hand?"
"Wait you saw him?" Link asked, astonished.
"P-Personally, yeah!" The formerly silent Cappy exclaimed, the fear when he laid eyes on the tyrant still fresh in his psyche. "He came through with his goons with this weird contraption, put it on his messed-up hand, and used it to blow up the town!"
"What kind of contraption did he use?" Meta Knight sauntered over to the Cappy and stood beside them, making sure not to seem overbearing with his show of interest in the supposed device used by the madman.
"I… uh, I dunno! It was some kind of glove thing, that's for sure." The Cappy tapped his chin, trying to remember what little he saw. "When he lashed his arm out, it sparkled like glitter before it fired. It was terrible, but also kinda hypnotizing, too! My brother pulled me away before I could see any more of it, though."
"Hm… Thank you, sir, even if you didn't see much, what you tell us is integral to stopping him, I assure you," Meta Knight shook the Cappy's hand thankfully, bringing a long-lost grin to the man's face. But then the smile was replaced by horror as the Cappy processed the knight's statement.
"Wait, you guys, you're going to try and stop him?!"
"That's suicide!"
"You'll be killed!"
The trio of Cappies all voiced their protest of the prospect of even going after their tormentor, let alone trying to put an end to his campaign. From what they'd witnessed, it was pointless to even try. The foreigners from another realm just watched with concern as the Cappies painted a vivid picture in their heads of Shatterhand's power. They glanced at each other and sighed in unison.
"Hey, look, fellas, we know you're in bad places right now," Sword Knight began, "But we can't let this," He gestured to the whole town. "We can't let more of this happen across the realms, if it hasn't already. Who knows where Shatterhand is now, and how many other worlds have been ravaged like this!"
Before the Cappies could respond, a loud boom roared through the air, Landia appearing in the distance. He swerved through the sky, something large in his talons. Finally, he slowed down when he got above the remains of Cappy Town, swooping down and throwing the massive, metal object in his grasp to the ground.
"Landia!" Tael shouted.
"Poyo!" Kirby ran up to the four-headed dragon and hugged him, having missed his scaly friend. The beast simply huffed and waited for the Star Warrior to let go.
"Landia? What'd you find?" Link hollered to the dragon, pointing towards the metal heap haphazardly thrown to the dirt. Landia glared at the object and a fiery anger emerged from his eyes, clearly upset by its existence alone.
"Come on, let's see what's got him all mad," Link told Sword Knight and Blade Knight, heading over to the glorified pile of scrap. The two swordsmen followed, their teacher staying back to console the Cappies.
Using their swords and pry apart the twisted, mangled metal, the three swordsmen tore their way into the silver cabinet like a rabbit making its own little den. Light flooded the dark inside of the container, revealing it to be a small ship doused with technology similar to the Lor Starcutter. Blinking lights and whirring machinery entered their ears as they climbed through the opening they made and inspected the cold innards.
"Hang on, guys, wait," Link halted, sensing something off about the environment.
"What's you thinkin', Link?" Blade Knight asked, puzzled.
Link didn't answer, instead reaching into his bag and pulling out the Lens of Truth and the Hookshot. He knew that the golden grappling hook could be used as a ranged weapon, so he held it defensively in one hand and held the Lens in the other, activating it. He peered through the looking glass and slowly sidestepped around the pod, the knights right behind him. While he didn't see anything too alarming while using the mystic magnifier, he kept cautious until something caught his eye.
"Look at that," Link handed the Lens of Truth to Sword Knight, using his magic to keep it active as the warrior wielded it.
"Well, well, well, ain't that something…" Sword Knight mused, passing the Lens to Blade and pointing to the wall. There, behind the miscolored metal, was a poorly placed machine that resembled the engine to the Lor, just vastly smaller.
Link fired the hookshot at the panel, smirking as it drove itself into the metal and latched onto the other side. He jerked his arm back, tearing the panel away and revealing the machine. It clearly didn't belong in the cramped pod, taking up a good amount of space. The hookshot chain rattled back into the weapon and Link put it away. The three walked up to the engine and frowned, looking to each other.
Link, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight reemerged outside, lugging the engine out of the pod and bringing it back to where Meta Knight and the Cappies rested. With uncaring looks they dropped it from their hands and let it slam onto the ground.
"We think this is what managed to trick us, Sir Meta Knight," Sword Knight scowled, kicking the machine. The Cappies were wildly confused at the sight, unfamiliar with such a device. Meta Knight, however, shared the displeased look that his pupils wore, figuring out what purpose the machine served.
"It's tech no different from the Lor, Sir Meta Knight," Blade Knight explained, crossing his arms. "Buncha' coordinates punched in that sent it here. We can only guess it's how Shatterhand produced that signal that brought about this whole mess."
"Are there records of the realm it came from?" Meta Knight needed to know.
"No sir, the data's been deleted. They must've known we'd check."
Meta Knight grunted tiredly. He cursed himself for so blindly underestimating Shatterhand. The man proved himself to be cunning, more so than he had anticipated. For once, Meta Knight was stumped on how to continue. Every angle could be countered if he wasn't certain there'd be success.
"Poyo?" Kirby squeaked, distracted by Landia.
"No, Kirby, we aren't going home just yet. We need to formulate a plan," Meta Knight commented to Kirby.
"Hm… Hey, psst, Link?" Tael whispered to his friend.
"Huh? What, Tael?" Link whispered back. The fairy flew up to Link's ear and shared his own little thoughts. The Terminian's eyes slowly brightened as his fairy companion shed some light. "Hey, that's not a bad idea."
"Would you like to share, Link?" Meta Knight said aloud. Nothing went under his radar, even the faint whispers just barely audible to him, something Link greatly admired.
"Well, it's Tael's idea, but I can't help but agree with it," Link allowed himself to elucidate the rest of the group. "Perhaps the best thing to do is split up and let Shatterhand find us."
Meta Knight grew intrigued, while the others seemed horrified at the thought. Kirby remained indifferent, just happy to be there.
"Look, we aren't going to find Shatterhand ourselves, cause there's just too many places he could be," Link smiled at Tael, impressed with his ingenuity. "But what if we lure him in? Say, me, Kirby, and Tael go alone to another realm and see if he searches for us, while Landia heads out on his own to scout out any other realms."
Tael continued on after Link, "Meanwhile, Meta Knight, you and everyone else head back home and keep your world safe! Since Kirby won't be there to help, you know? Then if something happens, you could contact Landia, and Landia maybe could find us and bring us back!"
"Well, the explanation could use some work, but I understand your direction. We head home and defend if the enemy comes, while you go and lure him out should he not invade, correct?" Link and Tael nodded eagerly at Meta Knight. The knight himself wasn't greatly fond of the plan, but if he couldn't think of anything better, it was all they had. One team waiting, another searching, and a third as bait.
"I see no other alternative, so I must agree," Meta Knight concluded. It was dangerous, but if it was a multi-angled method, it could have a chance. "Shatterhand is aware of us, so if we plan accordingly to how he may think, then it may just work."
Landia, without needing to be questioned, flew up into the sky again and roared. Everyone faced him, and Meta Knight nodded heroically, pride rearing its way onto the dragon's face. He blasted into the sky and opened a portal with only his thoughts, flying through and disappearing.
"How does Landia just know when to do things?" Link thought out loud. Meta Knight simply chuckled at Link's bewilderment.
"That dragon is far more than meets the eye, my friend. He's likely the most experienced out of all of us," Meta Knight commented, reaching into his cloak and retrieving the Ultra Sword. The blade gleamed brightly in the sunlight, and he tossed the sword to Link. "While that way of travel is far more random than the Lor, it's best to use it instead of the Lor."
"Poy poyo?"
"Yes, Kirby, I suppose fate did some something to do with Link finding his way to us," Meta Knight remarked. A one in a million chance, he guessed, but he was glad it happened. Meeting Link, getting to know him and his story, it was a nice reminder that even warriors as scarred as him weren't truly alone.
Meta Knight, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight rounded up the Cappies and led them to the Lor, where they'd be safe. Taking them from their realm and to another, although risky, is what was best. They couldn't stay in this realm; the seeds of war already having torn it to shreds. Refuge would gladly be offered to them. Link, Tael, and Kirby stayed on the surface, watching and waving as the Lor Starcutter took off, leaving the planet and heading back home.
"Alright, Kirby, you ready?" Link asked, smiling down on the little puffball.
"Poyo!" Kirby answered, although Link still couldn't quite understand him. He hoped that he'd be able to soon, or else it'd be a little awkward.
"I'll take that as a yes. Okay…" Link held the Ultra Sword out and took a fighting stance. Tael and Kirby took a step back as the Terminian breathed slowly, narrowing his mind to focus hard. He relaxed his hands and thought of the ones he was doing this for. For a second, he grew somber, but he moved his body forward to swing.
The Ultra Sword cut through the air seamlessly, and another, vibrant, blue portal opened up. Shaped just like a star and beckoning to the three, they all looked at each other.
"You ready to enter a whole new world, guys?" Link asked, a bit of that teenage spunk returning to him. His comrades nodded excitedly, and the hero was the first to take a step forward.