"Sweep sweep sweep let's go sweep the dust
Make this room clean is the must
Side to side until there is none
Make this room clean is so fun."
Sweetie Belle sang joyfully as she swept her broom on the floor in rhythm to her song alongside the two Broom Hatters in the chamber. It was certainly less boring to clean a room this way!
BLAM!
Everyone in the room jumped at the suddenness of the door being kicked open, a silhouette standing at its place.
"So... I have heard that you search someone to help you learn how to use your body to break skulls?" the silhouette said, arms crossed.
Sweetie understood that the silhouette was speaking to her. "Mmh... Breaking skulls, maybe not, but at least to better fight enemies that get too close. And no need to be so dramatic Knuckle Joe."
"Aww... You are no fun," the silhouette said, revealed to be a Knuckle Joe, a small bipedal creature with a tan head with big cheeks, small eyes like Kirby, pointy ears, spiky yellow hair separated in two by a white headband with a red jewel, a blue jumpsuit on his body, red shoulder pads, white gloves on his hands, and blue shoes.
"Watch out what you do, you idiot!" one of the Broom Hatters screamed. "You could have broken the door!"
"Sorry," Knuckle Joe said, bowing to the Broom Hatter.
Sweetie Belle giggled at this. Knuckle Joes were such hotheads. Always punching first, thinking later. But they were formidable fighters, their punches powerful enough to destroy rocks. They could even throw energy balls with their hands!
"I would love to start training with you Knuckle Joe, but can I first finish cleaning this room with the Broom Hatters? I'm almost done."
"I don't mind. I can even help!" he shouted. Without warning, he jumped beside one of the Broom Hatters and took his broom.
"Wha-? Wait!"
"Hiya!" Knuckle Joe violently brought down the broom on the floor to sweep it. Crack! Too violently, the broom breaking in two at the impact. "Haa!"
"My broom!" the Broom Hatter yelled in rage before he jumped on Knuckle Joe and started pulling his hair. "You didn't have to be so violent, you knucklehead!"
"Argargarg! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Stop it please!"
Sweetie sighed, then giggled again, shaking her head. Such hotheads... They reminded her of Scootaloo.
On the boxing ring, Knuckle Joe took a wooden plank, a hand on each ends, and showed it vertically in front of the filly.
"Break it! I'm sure you can with your hooves! I just need to see!"
"Uh... Alright. But I never tried before, so I'm not sure. Unicorns aren't known for their strength. An earth pony however, like my friend Apple Bloom, could break it without problems, I'm sure of it."
"Still try!"
Sweetie nodded, took a breath, and with a big "AYAH!", she punched the wooden plank, effectively breaking it in two.
"See? Hooves are hard! They can already do some powerful punches! All you need now, is to learn how to use these hooves to win a fight without needing a weapon! You can already knock out the majority of the king's army this way, with just a punch, but against a more experienced opponent, you will need more!"
"Yeah... Cape Knight made sure to make me know that that was not enough."
"Of course he did! He is not the Captain for nothing! But next time, you will be able to win a fight against him just by doing this!" He then did a series of small jabs in rapid succession releasing small shockwaves, his famous Vulcan Jab, followed by an uppercut with his fist engulfed in energy, the Rising Break. He ended his combo by putting his hands at his right side, and formed an energy ball that he shot in the air, the Force Blast, destroying one of the spotlights above the ring. "Oops..."
Sweetie giggled. "That was so cool!"
"Thank you!" He bowed. "I will also help you learn how to grab an enemy to throw them! Or to trap them in a powerful grip from which they will not be able to escape so you can finish them like you desire! By the end, you will be as swift as a coursing river, as forceful as a great typhoon, and as strong as a raging fire!" He raised his fist right above his head. "You will be invincible! Or almost. Nothing is truly invincible."
Sweetie Belle sweated. "Yeeeeah... Thank you Knuckle Joe." Oh boy...
"Come on! Stronger the jabs! Imagine that this sandbag is your worst nemesis! Faster!"
"I’ll try!"
"Don't try! Do it! Just! DO IT!"
"Continue! More push ups! Don't stop until I say so!"
I'm gonna die...
"And now you will do some laps around the room."
"O-okay..."
"With this weight on your back!" he said, taking a big, heavy weight from behind the stand.
Celestia... Help...
"Urg..." Sweetie groaned from the floor.
"That was some good training! You have done well! In no time, you will become as good as me! But now, it's dinner time, so it's time for me to say goodbye to you! Until next time we train!" He bowed. "Have a good night!"
"Ugh... Thank you..."
"Is there a problem?"
"Can't... move..."
"Oh... Have I gone too far?"
"M-maybe a little..."
"Sorry!" He bowed again. "Let me help you!"
"You don't need to... Just give me a minute... or two... or three..."
"I insist!" he shouted. He suddenly took Sweetie Belle from the floor and put her on his back awkwardly because of how big she was compared to him. "You have dinner with the king, right?"
"Eep! Uh yes. But, wait..."
"Then let's go! Tayooooo!!!" He started to run like a rocket, exiting the boxing room in two seconds and leaving behind him a trail of dust. Sweetie Belle clung to him for dear life, screaming so loudly that she thought that everyone in the castle could hear her. The two of them were a blur when they traversed the hallways, Knuckle Joe sending flying all the servants that had the misfortune of being in his way, screaming, "Sorry!" each time. If he could bow, he would!
Before long, they reached the king's dinner room. "My king! I'm bringing Sweetie Belle to you!" he yelled at the entrance of the room. On his back, Sweetie Belle tilted right, then left, then right again, before falling, her eyed looking at two directions at the same time. Knuckle Joe then bowed at the king.
Dedede looked at them, mouth open with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"After our training, she was too tired to walk for dinner, so I ran with her on my back so she could come!"
"I... I see... You are dismissed."
"Yes! My king!" He bowed again. He then bowed at Sweetie Belle still on the floor. "Until next time!" And he was gone.
Dedede looked at the filly, and after a few seconds, chuckled. "Seems you found quite the teacher."
"You... don't... say..."
The following weeks, nothing much happened. Sweetie did her tasks, she trained with the help of Dedede, Cape Knight, or Knuckle Joe, and sometime went out to walk around Dream Land, spending time with her friends, including Kirby, taking a good time. She would sometime observe a butterfly with red rimmed orange wings fly around, reminding her how peaceful this land was when nothing was trying to turn it into darkness land. She also learned more about the various creatures living in the kingdom, and beyond, making sure she knew what she could face in the future.
Sometime, she would punch Broom Sunglasses in the face, because he asked for it.
Right now, she was in the boxing room again, about to start her training with Knuckle Joe.
Gulp "What are we gonna do today?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Something that can seem easy, but that is actually really hard."
"And... What is it?"
"Meditation."
"....What?"
"I know it may not sound as great as throwing jabs at a sandbag or running around with a weight, but it is important if you want to do some of my more powerful techniques like my Force Blast."
"Uh?"
"How do you think I have been able to find the inner energy that I use to boost my punches or to create those balls? I had to do countless hours of meditation! And no, this energy has nothing to do with your magic! This is a different kind of energy!"
"Okay... So what do I do?"
"Nothing. You just sit down, empty your mind from all thoughts, and search inside you this energy! This is also a great way to learn how to better control your feelings, so you can better focus in a fight! Or doing other things!"
"Are you sure? Because you don't seem to control your feelings so well, seeing how you are always excited to the point of being clumsy."
This caused Knuckle Joe to fall backward as if he had been punched in the face. "Ouch! So true!"
Sweetie giggled. "Well then, I'll try."
Knuckle Joe got up. "Remember, it took me many hours ! You may not accomplish it first try!"
"Right..."
Sweetie sat on her bottom, crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and took a big breath. It was not so different from when she tried to use magic the first time, but it was still harder. With magic, at least, she didn't have to focus so much. She already had a little knowledge of how to use it. But this energy... It was more profound, she could tell. Already, emptying her mind was so hard. There was always something that came in her mind, excitement for when she will unlock this energy, curiosity like what will there be for dinner tonight, or thoughts of her home, her family, her friends...
She took another breath. Maybe she should start with something else. Her magic! She will start focusing on her magic, and from there, she will go deeper!
So, magic. Magic was near her heart, going all the way from there to her horn passing by her brain. Focusing on that point, it wasn't long before she felt her magic in her horn. She kept her focus on that point, not thinking of anything else. Not breathing, she let her body do the job. Not the beating of her heart. Not the sweat on her forehead. Just her magic. The magic became a green star in a vast blackness, with nothing else in sight. She could see some of this star going out, toward what she knew was her horn, but she didn't focus on that. She focused on the magic. Just, the magic.
And then, she started to move her focus elsewhere, deeper, while keeping the star as a beacon. She started to search the energy, whatever and wherever it was. For what felt like hours, she searched. She searched. She searched.
Nothing.
She kept her frustration in check, this will not help her. She returned to the star, thinking to try again. But as she returned to the star, she saw something. In the star. Deep, in the very center of the green, she could see something. Something... She was not sure of the form, or the color. Was this the core of the star? The very origin of her magic? It was... It was...
Her?
She reached to it... or to her...
Knuckles Joe looked at Sweetie Belle, the filly not moving at all. He had been worried when he saw her horn light up, thinking that she had been doing something wrong. But almost after that, she had totally stopped moving, only her breathing showing that she was alive. Not even her ears moved. Seemed like her magic had been the key to enter her meditation state, which was impressive. It took her only a few minutes, while it took him about an hour the first time. There were some people that were just better gifted...
It had been many hours now, and Knuckle Joe may have to stop the exercise soon.
But then, he started to see something, barely visible. Some white-green-blue energy was starting to envelop the filly. He gasped. She did it!
In an instant, Sweetie opened her eyes and put her fore hooves to her right where an energy ball of the same color was forming.
But when she threw it, and the ball disappeared...
...
"Oh come on! I had it!"
Knuckle Joe shook his head in disbelief. This filly was something. He then said, "At least you found it. I must congratulate you. But how have you been able to find it so fast?"
Sweetie took a big breath before answering. "Well, first, I put my focus on my magic so I could use it as a beacon to search deeper in me for this energy. And... turns out it was deeper, but deeper in my magic. I barely saw it, it was almost invisible, impossible to feel, but it was there, in the center. It..." She looked at Knuckle Joe right in the eyes. "It was my soul, right?"
He nodded. "A part of it, at least. This energy is an energy coming right from your soul, representing your spirit. Seems like your magic is from the same origin." At this, he laughed and clapped. "Nature sure spoiled you! And your people!"
She looked at her hooves, annoyed. "But I wasn't able to form an energy ball. Mph!"
"Of course you weren't! It's one thing to find the energy, it's another to learn how to use it! But I think we can stop for now, it's almost dinner."
"Really?! Already?!"
"Time goes fast when you are in meditation! You can go! I will ask the cooks to prepare for you a Maxim Tomato pie as a reward! You deserve it!"
Oh Celestia... An apple pie made from Whispy's apples was already too good, what will it be with the Maxim Tomatoes?
Sweetie walked in the hallways, not knowing what to do while waiting for dinner. She was not sure she could start any task and finish them in time.
But then, she heard a Waddle Dee start a discussion with a few other servants.
"Have you heard? A few days ago, Kirby has fought that giant bird, Dyna Blade, who terrorized a part of Dream Land."
"It's only now that you heard about it?" another Waddle Dee answered. "Were you living under a rock?"
"Hey, I was sick! I just learned about it, like, five minutes ago!" the first replied.
Oh yeah, Dyna Blade. Too bad I wasn't there, Sweetie thought. She had been annoyed to miss helping Kirby in fighting another threat, but at the same time, she couldn't be at his side every time, so she couldn't know when he went on another adventure.
"I have heard something else," a Sword Knight suddenly said. "The Bronto Burts have seen some heavy activities from the Meta Knights, at their not-so-secret base on the coast of Orange Ocean, in the south. They must be preparing something."
"Meta Knight? Preparing something?" the second Waddle Dee said. "All he does is walk around Popstar challenging whoever he finds powerful enough. What would he prepare?"
"I don't know..." a third Waddle Dee said. "Why would he have an army of mercenaries under his orders if he just wanted to become stronger?"
"Good point," the others said.
She heard enough. Dinner could wait. If there was even the chance that the Meta Knights may prepare something bad, she must go see what it was. Their base in the south, on the coast of Orange Ocean, right? All she will have to do is follow it.
The Meta Knights were not to be underestimated. She only met their leader, Meta Knight himself, but she heard many things about them. They were less numerous but far more well trained than Dedede's army. And Meta Knight was the most powerful warrior in the world outside of Kirby.
Hopefully it was a false alert, because she was not sure she will be able to fight Meta Knight, but someone must at least stand against them. Kirby may not have heard about this rumor. Maybe she should go speak to Dedede, together they may have a chance. But he may not take seriously what were just speculations on a rumor.
She entered the room with all the boars, hopped on one, and exited the castle, under the sunset.
Many minutes later, she could see the trident-like towers of their base, and a giant dome. A dome that was opening, letting out... something. It was long, black, with many cannons, and what seemed to be a bridge like on a ship, but far bigger. At the front, she could barely see it from where she was, there was a reproduction of Meta Knight's mask.
Then, big metal tubes at the back spat fire.
And it started to fly, long purple bat wings deploying at the sides.
A giant, technologically advanced flying battleship.
"Oh boy..."