Hi guys! So just to clear things up-Saga of Numbuh 451 is not cancelled. I've just been having trouble with how I want the story to go. Not to mention, this story concept will not leave me alone. So yeah, Kirby and Murder Drones. The lack of crossovers between these two series honestly makes me kinda mad because I feel like there is a lot of crossover potential. But oh well, you know the saying! So let's get going!
Anyone who had even the barest knowledge or experience with space knew that the universe had an endless amount of interesting planets and locales to discover. One of the more "backwater" ones, so to speak, was Planet Popstar. Nestled at the far end of the universe in a galaxy many assumed to not hold much worth, the planet was rather peaceful…give or take a yearly eldritch horror attack or someone trying to conquer it. However, those were always halted by the planet's hero, Kirby. Across his many adventures, he had put together a close team of allies known as the Star Allies. It didn't matter power sets or even backgrounds. Kirby could seemingly befriend anyone, even some of said eldritch horrors or attempted conquerors, and, in turn the Star Allies had become something of a family.
But the Star Allies weren't the only thing Popstar had to offer.
Various landmarks also called the planet, with one of the more interesting ones being the Fountain of Dreams, a magical fountain that, so long as the Star Rod was in place, would prevent anyone within the fountain's range from having nightmares.
Which is why one resident found herself extremely concerned and upset.
"That same dream…" Adeleine mumbled to herself as she held her head in her hands. In spite of knowing the Fountain of Dreams was supposed to keep her from getting nightmares, the dreams she'd been having recently certainly felt like nightmares. She remembered running with people she didn't recognize with the area around her being destroyed by some type of flying monsters. The dream would always end with her getting placed into a spaceship of some kind. Adeleine had no idea if there was more or not, but that was always the part she woke up around. It was all so strange. She'd never had problems with her dreams before.
"Maybe…maybe a walk will help clear my head…." Adeleine decided as she climbed out of her bed. Grabbing her paintbrush and easel in case she wanted to paint something interesting, she headed out. Many Star Allies were night owls (one was a literal owl, for NOVA's sake!), so Adeleine had a feeling that, as much as the Star Allies were known for their love of getting a good sleep, there would be someone up for her to talk to if she needed.
And sure enough, she didn't have to look far.
"Hey! Susie!" Adeleine called out to the heiress, who seemed to be tinkering with her business suit.
"Ah, Adeleine," Susie greeted her fellow Star Ally. "I'm surprised you are still awake. Regrettably, Marx spiked my drink with caffeine. I'm trying to tire myself out."
"Classic Marx," Adeleine couldn't help but comment with an annoyed head shake. As much as she would consider the mostly reformed jester a friend, Marx's seemingly constant pranks could make him a hassle to deal with.
"But what is keeping you awake?" Susie asked, reminding Adeleine why she was out and about so late.
"This is going to sound so weird…" Adeleine took a breath before continuing. "But I've been having nightmares." As if on cue, Susie raised an eyebrow.
"But with the Fountain of Dreams active, that should be impossible," Susie pointed then put a hand on her chin. "I'd say something might possibly be corrupting it, but I have not been having any nightmares and I don't believe any of the other Star Allies have been having any either."
"Told you it was weird," Adeleine replied. "But I'm seeing things that feel…weirdly real…"
"Like a memory?" Susie asked as she set down the tool she was holding before taking a seat on a log she'd been resting her things on, motioning for Adeleine to take a seat next to her.
"I mean…maybe?" Adeleine replied with an unsure shrug as she sat down. "I didn't recognize anyone in the dream but…it felt like I should."
"Believe it or not, I've heard of something similar before," Susie admitted. "When I first arrived with…my father, he started talking about getting dreams of…his daughter. I believe that the Fountain of Dreams was trying to get him to realize who I was…before…it was too late…" Susie trailed off, looking away from Adeleine, who merely placed a hand on her shoulder. In response, Susie merely put her own hand on top of Adeleine. In spite of how much time had passed, the loss of her father at the code of Star Dream still hurt. Whether that was because he died still not even realizing Susie was right in front of him or because Susie herself debatably had a hand in it, not even she was sure. "Sorry to make this all about me…"
"It's fine," Adeleine quickly assured her. "I mean, it's nice to know this isn't, like, the Fountain of Dreams randomly glitching out and giving me nightmares or something."
Susie couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You would be rather unlucky to have that happen to you. Still, perhaps we should try asking someone like King Dedede or Meta Knight tomorrow as they know more about the Fountain than we do. I'd say we could go now, but we both know that Dedede does not like being woken up."
Adeleine couldn't help but let out a laugh in response. "Oh yeah. A bomb wouldn't wake him up and I saw Meta Knight arrive as it got dark. He really hates it when you interrupt his cuddle time with his boyfriend." Both girls chuckled at that. The king and his beloved "Mety Knight" were the among the earliest hook ups out of the Star Allies, having been together before the group officially formed and Dedede had no issues letting everyone know how much he loved his beloved boyfriend. "Thanks Susie. I was hoping someone would be up to talk."
"Glad to be of service," Susie replied with a bow of her head. "I'm still rather hyper from Marx's prank, so, regrettably, this conversation hasn't helped me in falling asleep."
"I'd be happy to stay with you!" Adeleine assured her. "You helped me get some theories on my weird dreams." Adeleine had no idea how Susie managed to look like she was smiling without a mouth, but at least Adeleine could tell she was happy.
"Aw, how sweet,"
Almost instantly, Susie whipped her blaster, aiming in the direction that the strangely mechanical sounding voice came from. Adeleine was grateful she remembered her paintbrush. A fight was no doubt on hand.
"Show yourself!" Susie ordered as she scanned the area, looking for any sign of movement.
"I mean you no harm…" The voice trailed off as a robed figure stepped out of the darkness. It reminded both girls of Hyness when they fought at the Divine Terminus. Right down to the figure's eerie glowing eyes. The main difference was his eyes, which were a strange yellow color. From the glow of his eyes, the girls could faintly make out a symbol neither of them had ever seen-a circle with three arrows pointing outwards.
"Why are you here?" Adeleine asked, hand firmly clutching her paintbrush. For some reason, that symbol was only making her more nervous. The figure merely chuckled.
"Well, I was sent here by our enlightened leader in order to collect someone with the knowledge needed to bring our savior back into the realm." The figure then moved his head in a way that revealed his metallic teeth, which were forming a menacing grin. "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I bought a human back with us as well." Susie and Adeleine only had to share a look to understand how they were both thinking the same thing.
This guy had a lot more in common with pre-Friend Heart Hyness than just his fashion choices.
"Well sorry to disappoint, but I am not interested in what is likely a cult in reviving their so-called "savior"," Susie replied as she motioned for Adeleine to move behind her. She did not trust the way this guy was looking at her.
"A shame," The seemingly metallic figure replied, his smirk never leaving his face. "I was hoping to convince you to come peacefully. But I suppose our leader was right when he said that creatures of flesh could not truly understand our goals. Especially one with a pet human." Adeleine flinched at that. He sounded disgusted with her very existence. But what really confused her was the fact he kept calling her a human. And he seemed so sure of it. Adeleine didn't remember anything before her life in Dreamland, which included her species. So why did this weirdo seem so confident on what she was?
"Alright that's it," Susie's finger was on the trigger of her blaster and she was already pulling back. "You have seconds to go back to whatever junk pile you crawled out of and never show your face here ever again and I'll consider not chasing you!"
Yet again, the figure merely chuckled. "Such hostility…by luckily, I have ways to deal with it." Before either girl could question that, two other robed figures rushed out of the shadows and tased both girls into unconsciousness. "Faith, Apollos, well done."
"The great Shepard will be pleased with us," Apollos said with a bow of his head.
"Are you sure bringing the human is wise, Ark?" Faith, ever the nervous one, asked her leader as he looked over his prizes.
"Calm yourself Faith," Ark assured the lone female in the group. "Shepard always speaks of how he wishes could have his chance to show the humans how powerful drone kind has become without them holding us back!"
"Let us be off," Apollos urged as he picked Susie. She had knowledge they needed after all. "We don't need any other natives learning of our plans."
"Apollos is right," Ark declared as he slung Adeleine over his shoulder. "Let us be off. Shepard will heap praise upon us for this!" With that, the trio set off. In spite of Apollos' warning, the trio was fairly confident that, between the time of their attack and the fact the girls had chosen to have their talk in a rather remote area, the girls wouldn't be noticed missing until the next morning at the earliest.
Which might be why none of them noticed the panicking Waddle Dee who had seen the whole exchange and rushed off in the direction of a large castle in the distance.
I promise that actually canon Murder Drones' characters will be in the next chapter. I just wanted to start setting up the mysteries related to some of the Kirby characters. As for Adeleine's backstory...it will be a pretty major part of the story. But you'll see what I mean later!