"Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!" Discord repeated excitedly as he entered the same empty room as last time. He then snapped his fingers, making Twilight, her friends, Spike, and the Crusaders appear on chairs, much to their confusion. "Everyone!" he shouted. "Who wants to see an epic action movie?"
"Discord? What?" Twilight asked in confusion.
"Ah was about to eat with mah family!" Applejack shouted.
"Yeah! I wouldn't be against some action, but here, my stomach is asking for food!" Rainbow Dash shouted too.
"Oh?" Discord snapped his fingers, and bags of popcorn appeared beside them. "Well, here is some food!"
"Discord, what is going on?" Fluttershy asked.
"Oh okay, let me repeat myself. Who wants to see an epic action movie featuring a certain white unicorn filly?" At this, he snapped again his fingers, making a screen appear on the wall. The screen showed an image in black and white of Sweetie Belle's head with written before it "Today, Sweetie Belle in a new adventure!"
Everyone gasped. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo then ran at Discord's feet. "We're going ta see Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Please, tell us it isn't a joke," Scootaloo said.
"For once, no jokes!" Discord said, retiring a mask of a clown from his face. "Except this one."
"Oh please! Show us! You said that she is going on an adventure?" Rarity asked.
"Exactly! And we are all gonna watch it live!"
"Then stop losing time and turn on the screen, or we are gonna miss it!" Pinkie Pie yelled, starting eating the popcorn.
"That's what I was gonna do!" He snapped his fingers and the window portal reappeared on the wall in the place of the screen before he sat. The portal showed Sweetie Belle riding a boar beside an ocean not far of a forest and a mountain. "There is our hero." Then the portal showed, a little farther ahead, something flying above the ocean. "And there is her target!"
"What is that!" Twilight shouted.
"It looks awesome!" Rainbow and Scootaloo shouted.
"Well, it is no less than a battleship!" Discord said.
"A BATTLESHIP?!" Rarity yelled. "That thing is a battleship?! And Sweetie is going to attack it?! ALONE?!! Discord! Bring her back! She will get herself killed! Fate can go to Tartarus!"
"Wait!" Apple Bloom shouted. "Something's happening!"
"Eeyup. It's shooting at something in the sky," Applejack said.
She could see him, on his Warp Star, approaching the ship. "Kirby! Oh thank Celestia you are here!" But then, the Warp Star was shot down by one of the many cannons of the ship. "Oh no!" She could only watch in horror as the Warp Star crashed in the forest. "Quick Grouiky Junior! To the forest!"
"Groink!"
Passing a few doors and jumping above a few holes, searching in and around the forest, she was able to find Kirby just as he got out of a big black door, between the forest and a mountain, thankfully not hurt. She saw that Kirby was wearing a purple cap, and he had a yo-yo. She let the boar charge at an enemy that looked like a microphone on feet not far of him and got down. She then hugged the surprised puffball.
"Kirby! Thank Celestia! I thought that you had been killed in that crash!"
"Poyo. Poyo," Kirby said, patting her on the back of her neck, where he could reach.
She stepped back and looked at the battleship in the distance. "So, it's bad news?"
"Poyo!" Kirby confirmed.
"We must stop it?"
"Poyo!"
"Then, how are we going to reach that thing?"
At this, Kirby took a determined expression, shouted, "Poyo!" and started to run.
"Wait!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "Maybe we should go search reinforcements! Like Dedede! Or Gooey! Do you know where is Gooey?"
Their run was interrupted by the apparition of two big enemies. Sweetie recognized them as Bonkers by their gorilla-like appearance with dark blue pants, purple clothes, and purple hair with a pompadour haircut. They used for weapon a hammer as big as the one that Dedede used. One of the Bonkers appeared before them, and the other behind them, using his hammer to send the boar blasting off.
"Grouiky Junior!" she shouted. She then looked at the Bonkers in anger. "You will pay! I take this one Kirby!"
"Poyo!" Kirby shouted back, readying his yo-yo while facing the other Bonkers.
Not looking back, Sweetie took her whip and cracked it in the face of the Bonkers. He counterattacked by bringing down his hammer on her, but she jumped to her left, avoiding it. She then jumped on the Bonkers' back and bucked it behind the head, making him eat the ground. She hopped down from him and shot a charged magical beam at his butt, causing the Bonkers to jump in pain and to drop his hammer. With the help of her magic, she wrapped her whip around the handle of the hammer and made it fly around her before bringing it down on the head of the Bonkers.
That was not enough to knock him out and he took back his hammer before taking an explosive coconut from his pocket and throwing it at her. She passed under the coconut before it exploded, avoided the hammer again, then bucked the Bonkers on his right knee. Jumping back to avoid the hammer, she made her whip crack at him multiple times and sent a last charged beam, making the Bonkers finally fall unconscious.
When she looked toward Kirby to see if he dealt with his enemy, she saw the puffball, with his yo-yo wrapped around all four of the Bonkers' limbs, waving at her. She giggled before bucking the wrapped Bonkers right in the head, knocking him out. Kirby then gave up his yo-yo and ate the Bonkers, giving him the Hammer Ability.
"So, what now?" Sweetie asked.
Kirby answered by pointing his hammer toward the flying ship getting away.
"So we are chasing it? Even if we have nothing to board it?"
Kirby nodded.
She sighed.
Kirby then started to run and destroyed a Bomb Block that caused the destruction of a whole wall of seemingly indestructible blocks around it. Sweetie had no choice but to follow him, maybe they will find something. A few more Bomb Blocks later, Sweetie was forced to awkwardly jump on Kirby so he could lift her up because it was too high to jump. Kirby took the floating hot dog and orange juice, then used his hammer to stick a small wooden stake in the floor, causing the destruction of more blocks that revealed a Maxim Tomato that Kirby divided in two, giving one half to her.
"Thanks. I haven't eaten because of this."
"Poyo!"
After eating, they destroyed another Bomb Block, and Sweetie jumped down the way it opened to punch a Kabu before shooting a beam at another Bomb Block, revealing two Scarfys. Kirby took them down with his hammer without letting them mutate, and Sweetie had to yet again jump on his back to be lifted up. She used her horn to destroy another Bomb Block in the way and took the floating candy that it revealed, letting Kirby eat the hot dog, before entering a door.
"Yay! I love free candy!"
"Not fair!" Pinkie shouted. "Why can't I find free candies in the wild too?!"
"The real question is: why is there food in the wild?!" Twilight shouted back.
In the other side of the door, they were almost rolled on by an enemy that looked like a rubber wheel with its eyes in the center of both sides of the wheel. A Wheelie. Seeing the long straight path that awaited them, Kirby gave up the Hammer and ate the Wheelie, gaining a red cap backward. He was then about to do something when he looked at Sweetie Belle in curiosity, putting a hand under his mouth.
"Poyo..."
"What?"
Then, Kirby jumped on her, and her hooves suddenly turned into wheels! Before she could say anything, she lost control of her hooves, the wheels almost making her faceplant. Trying to regain balance, she found herself doing like when she had first gone skating, trying to put her hooves under her only for them to go wild. Skating! It must not be different! If she could keep her balance while skating, then she could keep her balance with wheeled hooves! So, remembering her skating, she was able to place her four hooves under her and keep her balance.
Accomplishing this, she smiled. "Yay!"
"Poyo!" Kirby congratulated her.
She tested the wheels, somehow making them roll a little. "Now..." She then looked at the long way before her, eyes half closed, and at all the enemies that were on it. "I'm gonna roll..." Her smile became sadistic. "And they are gonna hate it."
"Po-yo!" Kirby shouted, raising his right arm.
And she rolled, right forward, jumping above holes, above spikes, and sending flying all the enemies that were in the way. She didn't care about the Scarfys flying above, as long as they were not in the way. At the end, she fell on springs, bouncing her on a level above where there was another long path, this time with Bomb Blocks. She destroyed the first one, making something explode, but she was not sure what. Same thing with the second one. At the end, she had to jump on a bridge above and turn around, rolling above holes with a plate of pancakes and a normal tomato that she took in her magic. Once they reached the door at the end, she stopped, and Kirby jumped from her back.
"Poyo! Poyo!" he shouted, jumping on place and smiling at Sweetie Belle.
"It was awesome! Here is some food for you in thanks!" she said, giving the pancakes and the tomato. She still took one of the pancakes to eat it.
Once Kirby had inhaled his food, they passed the door and found themselves in front of a pink round enemy with black feet and fire for hair with a headband. A Burning Leo. Kirby gave up the Wheel and ate him, gaining the Fire. They then jumped on the spring behind them and were bounced up beside a big cannon pointed up where they could see its wick poking out of the ground not far. Another similar cannon was alongside it, pointing up too.
Sweetie wondered what they had to do only to see Kirby light the first wick before jumping in the first cannon. He then signed to Sweetie Belle to hop in.
"Are you sure?" she asked, scared.
"Poyo!" Kirby confirmed.
"Alright..." And so, she jumped in the cannon just before the fire reached it only for the cannon to explode, expelling them in a ball of fire. As they hit the ground, Sweetie coughed some black smoke. "You... You were saying?"
"Poyoooo..." Kirby groaned beside her. He then got up, helped the filly, and went to light the other cannon.
"You still want to try?" she asked.
Kirby shrugged from inside the cannon.
Sweetie sighed. "Well... There is no other way, unless we go back down the mountain..." She jumped in the cannon.
When the fire reached the cannon, it made a few turns, surprising its occupants, before pointing down. Next thing they knew, the cannon was launched into the sky like a rocket with the two of them screaming. A few seconds of flying later, the cannon fell back on the top of the mountain, bouncing a few time before rolling, then stopping. Sweetie Belle and Kirby took this to get out of it, their eyes rolling around.
Kirby was the first to regain his senses and was then startled by something he saw. When Sweetie shook her head to stop the world from spinning around, she saw what startled Kirby, and her jaw almost hit the ground.
Before them was a giant bird made of red and white metal and rainbow wings, a blue jewel on its chest, and yellow feathers on its head like a crest. The bird looked at them with its big eyes.
"Is... Is that Dyna Blade?!" Sweetie Belle shouted, taking a step back. Kirby placed himself before her and took a fighting stance. But to their surprise, Dyna Blade lowered its wings, inviting them on its back. "It wants to help us?"
Kirby smiled at this and waved at Dyna Blade in thanks before getting on its back. Soon after, Sweetie Belle followed him, insure. Once the two of them were on its back, the giant bird flapped its rainbow wings, ascending, before flying in the direction of the battleship.
It didn't take them long to reach it, but once they got too close, its many cannons started shooting at them. Dyna Blade was able to avoid them and approached the ship only for a big cannon on the deck to charge before shooting a giant laser, hitting fully the bird. The hit ejected Sweetie and Kirby from its back, but they fell on the deck at the head of the ship beside some giant cannon, successfully boarding it.
Sweetie barely had the time to look with sadness at Dyna Blade diving to the ground in pain, about to crash, smoke trailing behind it, before they were attacked by the crew on the deck, starting with a Sir Kibble that Kirby ate, giving up the Fire for the Cutter. They then heard someone speaking from a speaker.
"Dyna Blade has been shot down!"
"But...! But...! Kirby is on the deck! And he is with the king's lackey!"
"Hey!" Sweetie shouted at this.
"Relax," a voice that Sweetie recognized then said. Meta Knight. "We must handle this calmly."
"Lister, you lubbers!" someone else then shouted. "I want you all after those two!" Seemed like a commander.
Fighting the crew, they ran on the deck of the ship until entering a hallway with Gordos in the way. But some sort of platform on the floor that charged forward once they walked on it was able to get them pass them. Continuing advancing, they reached their first door of the ship. In the other side, they were ambushed by what seemed to be some elite members of the Meta Knights consisting of knights using a flail (a big one), a trident, and an axe (this one wearing a skull mask).
"That's far enough, Kirby!" Meta Knight then said.
"Now you will know the power of Meta Knight!" the commander shouted.
"Fight!" a smaller voice shouted.
At once, the knights jumped on the two of them. Sweetie wrapped her whip around the knight with the axe and sent him toward the one using a trident while Kirby used his blades to cut the big knight using a flail. That was enough to beat them. But further, they were yet again ambushed by more knights, this time one of them using a javelin, but no axe-using one. Sweetie avoided the swing of the javelin and took it in her magic. The knight not wanting to let it go, he was sent flying toward the flail of the big one, sending him flying over the edge of the ship. The javelin knight flying into it caused the flail to lose its momentum, making it fall on its user's head. Meanwhile, Kirby took one of his blades in his hand and used it to slash a few times at the trident-using knight, defeating him.
After this ambush, they passed another door leading them inside the ship.
"Looks like Kirby and the pony are trying to get on deck."
"Well then," the commander said. "let's guide them in front of one of the cannons."
"I don't like this Kirby, they will trap us," Sweetie Belle said.
"Poyo!" Kirby reassured. Seeing a Poppy approach them, he gave up the Cutter and ate him, only to discover that this Poppy had been using boomerangs, giving back the Cutter Ability. He sweated at this. "Poyo..."
"No Bomb this time, sorry Kirby."
After that, they took an elevator to go up, Sweetie putting a shield around them at seeing a Shotzo shooting at them from the side. On the top, Sweetie shot a Bomber, a literal walking bomb with a skull drawn at its sides, while Kirby cut a Plasma Wisp, a living, floating mass of blue plasma with two gloved hands and two eyes. They took another elevator, then a third, leading them before three Shotzos. Just before they shot, Kirby saw a Bomb Block above him and destroyed it, which caused the destruction of the floor under the Shotzos, making them fall.
"I would like to know what was the point of putting these three Shotzos above a floor that could be destroyed with a Bomb Block."
Kirby only shrugged in response.
"She has a point, Captain Vul," the small voice said.
"Shut up!" the commander shouted, his name and rank revealed, making Sweetie giggle.
They passed the door that the Shotzos had been guarding and ended in a big hangar full of smaller ships and weapons. Sweetie was awed at such a military power. Just in this room, they had enough to take over Dream Land, and they could even take over Equestria! The princesses would probably put a fight, but against all these ships and their armament, would they last long?
She shivered. "We must stop them!"
"Poyo!"
Continuing, Kirby gave up his Ability seeing the next enemy: a Bio Spark. A round being wearing purple clothes all over his body except before his eyes, with a golden headgear and a headband with a star. He had red hands and feet, and a red tassel on the back of the head. He used a katana as a weapon. To put it simply, it was a ninja! And Kirby ate him, obtaining the Ninja Ability! He now wore a skullcap with a headband similar to the ninja, and now possessed a katana.
Kirby looked at himself, turning around, before he put his hands before him, raise a foot, and shouted, "Yooooo!!!"
This caused Sweetie to roll on the floor laughing. "This... This is... Oh my Celestia! My sides!" Kirby laughed too before pointing at Sweetie Belle. At this, she gasped. "Oh my gosh! Yes! Please! Yes!" She quickly went back on her hooves and Kirby jumped on her back. A light engulfed her, and when it disappeared, she found herself entirely covered in a black cloak leaving only her eyes, horn, and tail visible. She then threw a shuriken into a wall, and seeing it hit, she shouted, "Cutie Mark Crusader, Ninja! Yay!"
"Nooo! I want to be a ninja too!" Scootaloo whined.
"Sorry, squirt..." Rainbow Dash said.
Twilight's eye twitched.
Not long after, they were ambushed by two new enemies: some pink fighter with yellow hair wearing a white gi with a black belt and having floating blue gloved hands, and a Poppy Bros. Sr, pretty much like the juniors, but bigger. The fighter launched his hand at them, only for Sweetie to throw a smoke bomb at her hooves, disappearing from the enemies' sight. She then fell on the fighter, kicking him on the back-head, and Kirby threw a dozen kunais at rapid succession toward the Poppy, beating him. Sweetie ended the fighter by taking his head in her hooves, and slamming it on the floor.
The battle finished, they continued, beating another Bio Spark followed by a Gip, some sort of pig-like round creature without any limbs excepted two white wings, on a bridge of Star Blocks. While beating the Gip, Sweetie accidentally destroyed a block by sending a shuriken at it, showing that there was a Bomb Block under them. Kirby destroyed the remaining blocks and discovered that there were actually two Bomb Blocks, including one that seemed to destroy a wall. Kirby then jumped down from Sweetie's back, making her lose the ninja outfit, and let her go on is back before inflating and flying down. Sweetie destroyed with her horn the first block which, strangely, actually created platforms to jump back up. Destroying the second block revealed a secret door, which they took.
"Have we be found...?" Captain Vul then said with sadness.
"What is this place?" someone else asked.
Seemed like they found some secret room of the captain, and this room had food in it! A flan, which Sweetie immediately ate, a normal tomato, a Maxim Tomato that they shared, and some sort of glowing candy with a small star.
"What is this?" Sweetie asked.
"Poyo! Poyo!" Kirby said excitedly before eating the candy. He then started flashing!
"Wh-" Sweetie was about to ask what was going on, only to be stopped by Kirby doing a mouth to mouth to her, making her flash too! And turning her head all red...
"Eep!"
"What the..."
"Oh my gosh! Sweetie has a coltfriend!"
"Told you," Discord said to Rarity, the mare having red cheeks.
"Oh my..."
Sweetie sputtered as Kirby ended the mouth to mouth. "Wh-wha-" But again, she didn't have time to say anything because Kirby took her by the hoof and started to run, forcing her to follow. They took the door, jumped on the platforms, and eliminated the next enemy, some sort of robot with a single eye in the left, a blue cap backward, red shoes, and a yo-yo, just by touching it! Taking the door behind it, they quickly crossed the next room without even taking the Maxim Tomato.
"They are now approaching Main Cannon number two."
"They'll be burnt to a crisp," Vul said before laughing alongside the small voice.
After the room, they were now just in front of the very cannon that had shot the giant laser at Dyna Blade, and it was now pointed right at them! The cannon was actually two cannons, a smaller round one on top of a bigger squared one, the big one being the one that shot lasers. Alongside the cannons was a mechanical arm, the hand menacingly turned toward them. The big cannon then shot its laser at them and Sweetie could only cover her eyes, thinking her end coming.
The laser passed around them, but to her surprise, they weren't getting vaporised! After the laser, she looked at herself and saw her body stopping flashing, like Kirby.
"Did... Did that candy gave us invincibility?" she asked in disbelief.
"Poyo!" Kirby confirmed.
"Impossible! How did they survive?!" Vul screamed.
"They took an Invincibility Candy in the secret room," Meta Knight answered.
"Grrrr... No matter! The cannon will destroy them!"
At that, the cannon on the top fired a explosive cannonball at them, forcing the two to separate. Sweetie went to the left and Kirby went to the right where he started to throw kunais at the big cannon at the bottom. He was forced to take his katana to parry the charge of the mechanical arm trying to ram him. While Kirby was busy with the arm, the top cannon turned toward Sweetie and fired another cannonball at her only for her to step back from the impact area before shooting a charged magical beam at it. The arm changed its target and gripped Sweetie Belle by her barrel, lifting her in the air. The big laser cannon then pointed at her and started to charge.
"Help, Kirby!"
To save Sweetie Belle, Kirby took his katana and jumped at the arm, cutting right through it, sectioning the hand and releasing the filly just in time before the laser fired. After Sweetie Belle thanked him, they avoided another cannonball from the top cannon and Sweetie attacked it multiple times with her whip while Kirby threw his kunais. Sweetie jumped away from another bullet and Kirby avoided another laser only to be rammed by the arm, still attacking despite not having its hand anymore. Sweetie shot a charged beam at the base of the arm, destroying it completely.
But the cannons still had a long way to go. Sweetie then decided to try something. Avoiding a laser, she got on her hind legs, put her fore legs to her right, and started to focus her energy. Before long, an energy ball formed between her hooves, and she threw it, only for it to disappear.
How hard is it to create an energy ball with this energy? I can shoot beams with my magic, this shouldn't be that different!
She didn't have much time to get annoyed at her failure because she saw yet another cannonball coming at her. Having enough, Sweetie took her whip and wrapped it around the bullet, mad it do a loop around her, and sent it back at the cannons where the explosion of the cannonball damaged the two. "Yay!"
Jumping above another laser, Kirby then fell on the top cannon and started to cut it. The top cannon had time to fire another cannonball that Sweetie dodged before suddenly stopping, electricity racing around it. Kirby jumped away while Sweetie wrapped the last cannonball it fired in her whip and sent it at the bottom cannon, hitting right where it shot the lasers just as it had been charging. This caused the cannons to explode in a big explosion, revealing that the cannons were probably linked to something important because, following that, the whole top of the ship from the cannons to the head started to explode.
Just before that, the Warp Star appeared and took both Kirby and Sweetie, escaping the destruction of the deck. As the top of the ship finally disappeared in an explosion of giant proportion, destroying a good part of its armament, the Warp Star led them toward the base of the left bat wing of the ship where it dropped them beside a turret with two small cannons.
As they started approaching the wing, beating everyone in their way with Sweetie shouting how awesome and unbelievable what they just did was, they could hear the crew speaking again.
"Ahh! Main Cannon number two was destroyed!"
"The cannon's a wreck! We can't use it!"
"What?! How could this be?" Vul shouted.
"They are now heading for the left wing!"
"You don't think they'd..." spoke the small voice in worry.
"Everyone!" Vul shouted again, angry. "We need to keep Kirby and that pony away from the left wing!"
"That pony has a name!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "And it's Sweetie Belle! Remember it!"
"Don't play tough with us, you little pest!" Vul shouted back.
Thanks to another small ride from the Warp Star, Kirby and Sweetie reached the side of the ship where violent winds were pushing them from behind because of the speed of the flying ship. On the way, they encountered Laser Balls, big floating orange balls with eyes who could shoot small lasers.
They found themselves reaching a wall, forcing them to go down by destroying the floor thank to a few Bomb Blocks and using rope ladders. A few rope ladders later, they were now at the bottom of the side of the ship where they had bigger risks to fall because of all the holes. Big holes.
Sweetie then looked at Kirby ninja and got an idea. "Hey, Kirby, get on my back! I think I know how we may be able to cross this section easily!"
"Poyo?" Kirby said in wonder before he jumped on Sweetie's back, giving her the Ninja Ability. The filly then approached the wall of the ship in their left with a big smile.
"Ninpo! Walk-on-the-wall-no-jutsu?" she asked.
Kirby gasped and smiled. "Poyo!"
And so, with the Ninja Ability, Sweetie ran toward the wall before starting to run ON the wall, running above the holes and the platforms full of enemies looking at them in wonder, shooting the Laser Balls and a Bomb Block that destroyed a wall in the way.
"That's cheating!" Vul screamed.
"No!" Sweetie Belle replied. "That's ninja!" she said as she grabbed a Maxim Tomato that was in the way in her magic, giving it to Kirby. With the katana, Kirby cut the tomato in two, and the two halves fell right in their mouths.
They were however stopped by a Mr. Frosty throwing an ice block in their may, forcing them to land on the floor before him. He then turned his back on them to get another ice block, showing his naked butt. Bad idea for him because Sweetie wrapped her whip around his right foot, and with the help of Kirby, sent him flying. After slamming him on the wall a few time, they gave a big tug, and the Frosty passed right THROUGH the wall. This apparently destroyed something important because the whole section started exploding alongside the left wing, forcing Sweetie and Kirby to enter the hole. The wing was destroyed just as they entered, leading the ship to tilt on its left.
"The left wing is destroyed! Damage to 74% of the wing!"
"Arggh!" Vul yelled in both surprise and rage.
"We're starting to lose stability because of it!"
"Retract the sails! Give more lift to the left wing!" Meta Knight ordered.
They then found themselves in a small section, with the only way through a small conduit in the ceiling above some electric floor.
"Hey! Where are Kirby and Sweetie Belle now?" Vul asked.
"It looks like they're inside the cabin now..."
"We got them on radar! They're in the ducts!"
So that was where they were. Anyway, Kirby on her back, they wall jumped to the conduit and moved slowly inside it. Sweetie had to crawl.
"What're they doing there?!" they heard Vul wonder as they climbed some ladders, reaching a small room with blocks spitting fire in the floor.
"They're moving through the ducts now!" they heard as Kirby helped Sweetie fly above the fire, reaching an elevator.
"Are they lost or something?" the small voice asked.
"Good question. Where are we going Kirby?" Sweetie asked, only to be answered by a shrug. Leaving the elevator, they reached a small room with a switch guarded by a Sir Kibble. Dealing with him, they found that the switch opened the door, but when they stopped hitting it, the door started to close back. So they went beside the door and Kirby used his kunais on the switch, opening the door, and they quickly passed it before it closed, entering another elevator.
"Wait... I thought of something. Heeheehee," Vul suddenly said, worrying Sweetie.
"What does he have prepared now?" Sweetie asked to herself.
They had to deal with a Knuckle Joe guarding a door once they left the elevator. He was able to punch Sweetie a few times before she wrapped her whip around him, trapping him, and Kirby finished him by cutting him with the katana. They only found a Maxim Tomato behind the door, healing the injuries that Sweetie just took.
Getting out, they had to go up. Some wall jumps later, they entered another small conduit leading to another Knuckle Joe that Kirby beat with a few kunais. Jumping on two platforms, they reached another door, this one leading in a big room full of weapons of all kinds.
"Have they made it into the armory?" Vul then said.
"They have their pick of the lot now."
Well then, jackpot. Seeing a hammer, Kirby decided, with regret, to take it, giving up the Ninja. Feeling like Vul was preparing something bad, Sweetie also took a sword to use alongside her whip, it may help her. And, heck! Now that she had a better control of her magic, why not take more? So she took a trident, and for good measure, a javelin. They ate the Maxim Tomato in the room and passed the door.
They appeared in a big hallway full of crates half plunged in the dark, not a sound was heard.
"Are we all ready?" Vul shouted.
"Are we really doing this?"
"Hmph. I know we'll regret this."
"Shut it! Now is our only chance to finish them!" the captain yelled in anger. "This time, we will succeed! Heavy Lobster, away!"
At hearing this name, Kirby gulped and urged Sweetie to move. That was when they destroyed a few Star Blocks in their way that they started hearing heavy metallic footsteps coming from behind, approaching. Looking back, Sweetie could see in the dark two glowing blue eyes coming closer and closer at each footsteps. Whatever it was, it was big!
"What is that Kirby?"
"Poyo!" Kirby answered, urging her to run.
They found themselves having to pass around, above, and below many crates and to destroy more blocks in the way. They eventually started hearing the crates being destroyed behind them. A group of crates suddenly exploded in a fiery explosion, damaging the structure and urging them to go faster.
Vul then started to laugh like a maniac. "Crush them! CRUSH THEM!!"
"He is crazy!" Sweetie Belle shouted as Kirby helped her fly above a big wall of crates, hearing more explosions behind.
"Ahh..." they heard someone sigh. "Looks like our ship is falling apart..."
"Don't worry about it! Just press on!" Vul said.
They reached the end of the hallway, and they now had to jump up from platform to platform just as the last crates were destroyed, Sweetie seeing the silhouette of the Heavy Lobster through the smoke. But they were able to escape it by climbing until reaching a big room with a few more wooden crates.
But then, the floor under the crates exploded before them, the Heavy Lobster passing right through it in a deafening racket of exploding wood and metal hitting metal. This caused a wall at their right to collapse, revealing a room full of big cylindrical metal things that seemed explosive.
And here it was, four times Sweetie's size, two glowing, now red flashing eyes looking right at them. Like its name said, the Heavy Lobster was a giant mechanized bipedal lobster made of golden metal, with two powerful golden claws that could snap them in two. It also possessed two small wings for some reason...
The Heavy Lobster raised its right claw and brought it down right at them, Sweetie and Kirby barely escaping it. Kirby jumped toward its head and used his hammer to hit it, making it slightly tilt, only for the Lobster to move its head back at Kirby, sending him to a wall. Sweetie ran as far away from it as possible and sent the three weapons she had taken toward it. The javelin broke in two upon hitting it, and the trident got the same fate. The sword, however, only bounced, barely scratching it. The lobster turned toward her and shot from its left claw what seemed to be some sort of mini-lobster that flew in her direction. She created a shield, and the mini-lobster exploded on it, destroying it.
Kirby came back with his hammer only for the Lobster to jump and fall on him, trapping him under its foot and making him lose the Hammer. It was hit on the head by a charged beam from Sweetie Belle, succeeding in making it step back, freeing Kirby. But before the puffball could get up, the Lobster kicked him right at Sweetie Belle, sending the two of them toward a wall. The Lobster then opened its two claws and sent fire from them. Seeing that, Sweetie took Kirby in her magic and ran away from the flames, the streams following her behind. When the Lobster stopped, it shot some slime made of paint, followed by another mini-lobster at her, and she barely jumped away from it before she shot the slime. Leaving Kirby, the puffball starting to run around, she approached the Lobster and cracked her whip a dozen times against its head, but this barely fazed it, and it charged at her with the help of some rocket behind it. She was not able to dodge, and the Lobster dragged her on its head for a few meters before sending her flying in the big room with the cylindrical things.
She slowly got up, heavily hurt, and watched as Kirby was able to inhale a mini-lobster and to spit it back at the Heavy Lobster, damaging it, only for it to charge at him too, and Kirby barely jumped out of the way only to be rammed by a claw. Sweetie then got on her back hooves, put her front hooves to her right, and charged her energy into a ball only to fail again. Kirby jumped above the Lobster's fire. She sat on her bottom and closed her eyes, grinding her teeth, shaking.
Darn it! We will die if this continues! I don't want to die! She opened her eyes and saw Kirby almost getting crushed by the Lobster falling on him, but he then got caught in its claw and was violently thrown at a wall. She tried another energy ball and failed. Tears started to flow from her eyes. Come on! There is nothing else I can do! Focus Sweetie! It's like magic! It comes from deeper, and it's harder to keep it flowing, but it's the energy coming directly from my own spirit! I can do it! She then heard a scream, and Kirby was flying right at her. She was able to catch him, and she remarked that now he was somehow wearing a grey cap backward. But the Lobster quickly followed, jumping and falling just before them. It then opened its claws.
Closing her eyes, she lost all focus and prepared another energy ball.
Sometime it's best to let your instinct do the work. And a life threatening situation is the best way to make it happen.
"YAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
She threw it, a ball as big as her, right between the Lobster's eyes, making it fall on its back.
"What was that?" Vul shouted.
"A Giga Force Blast!" the small voice answered. "It's, like, the most powerful technique that a Knuckle Joe can use, but it's really hard to use! It's the first time that I see one!"
"Must be a beginner's luck," someone else said. "She was clearly failing the previous attempts."
Kirby then got up, saw the Lobster starting to get back on its feet, and jumped in the air. He then took a bucket full of paint and splashed it all over the Lobster's head, including the eyes, covering them.
"Captain Vul! Heavy Lobster's eyes have been destroyed!"
"What?! Paint Ability, you say?!" Vul shouted.
"Oh no! He can't tell his left from his right anymore!"
"Rassa frassa blassa! Arrrgh!" the captain screamed in blind rage.
The Lobster charged right in front of itself, Kirby taking Sweetie Belle before dodging, now without any hat on his head anymore. The Lobster continued its charge until hitting one of the cylindrical things, making it stop.
"Oh no..." Vul said in horror.
The Lobster turned to its left and fired a mini-lobster at nothing, hitting a wall, before jumping and falling on nothing.
"Good job Kirby! It's now vulnerable! We can destroy it!"
"Poyo..." Kirby said, stepping back. He then took Sweetie's hoof before a Warp Star appeared and he jumped on it with her.
"Why are we running away?" she asked.
The Lobster then opened its claws, about to send fire.
They got out by a window just as Vul screamed, "Heavy Lobster! STOOOOP!!!"
BOOOUUUUUM!!!
A big part of the right side of the ship was blown up in a deafening explosion, including the right wing, to Sweetie's awe. Rapidly, the Warp Star dropped them on the back of the ship, at the edge behind the bridge.
"The Heavy Lobster caused the right wing and the surrounding area to be destroyed!"
They then heard Vul taking big breaths before saying, "Alright... Having both wings destroyed may be just what we needed..."
After a small silence, someone else talked. "They are climbing around the outside of the ship, heading for the helm."
"Where do we go from here?" Sweetie asked.
Kirby looked around, then down beyond the edge. "Poyo!" he said, pointing down.
"We have to jump?!"
Kirby nodded, and signed for her to go on his back. Slowly, Sweetie climbed, and Kirby inflated before letting himself falling down. The filly used her magic to shoot at all the enemies trying to attack them in the air while Kirby fell around the floating white cannons pointing up, not wanting to go up. At the bottom, they reached a door with a glass of fruit juice that Kirby gave to Sweetie.
"Are you sure? You need healing too."
"Poyo," Kirby confirmed with a smile.
Sweetie looked at the juice, then drank some of it before giving the rest to Kirby, smiling. "Like this, everyone is happy."
Kirby couldn't refuse it, and so, he drank it before they passed the door. They ended up at the left side of the ship, at the bottom, the wind back, and before a wall with a Bomb Block.
"They are moving along the base of the ship," someone in the speakers said as Sweetie destroyed the wall with a beam.
"Not much we can do to him there... But the wind is strong," Vul said. Sweetie jumped on Kirby's back so he could fly her above the big hole that followed.
"And it's cold," the small voice said.
"And it's high."
"And it's scary."
"...All right, you lot," Vul said.
They reached a series of yellow platforms moving rapidly up and down. Sweetie took her time to calculate her jumps and not fall, because like she heard from the speaker, it was high and it was scary. Thankfully, Kirby remained beside her to make sure she didn't fall while eating a Plasma Wisp to gain the Spark Ability. At the end of the platforms, Sweetie destroyed another wall while Kirby dealt with a Broom Hatter. Another wall later, and they entered a door.
In the other side, they had to pass a door with a switch only to enter another room with two switches, each switch opening a door during a certain amount of time. To enter the next room, they had to make sure to pass the two doors without the second one closing before they reached it.
The next room was harder because there were three switches, including one behind a door. It meant they first had to open this door, reach the switch behind it, get out, and hit the last switch to continue. Thanks to Sweetie's beam, they were able to gain a few seconds, and they passed the doors.
They now reached an elevator, but when they tried to use it, the way was blocked, so they had to take another one, destroying some cannons on wheels in the way. This led to some food and a switch that destroyed something. Taking again the first elevator, this time, they were able to get all the way down.
As Kirby sent a big ball of electricity on a chicken-like enemy, the ball hit a wall not far behind it, destroying it and revealing a door that they went through.
"Nooo!" someone suddenly shouted. "My secret stash of food!"
And... eeyup! Pancakes, flan, tomato, and a Maxim Tomato! Just what they needed after the Lobster! Enjoy!
"So you were the one hoarding them!" Vul shouted. "You scallywag!"
This made Sweetie giggle as she ate the pancakes with Kirby.
Stomach stuffed (for Sweetie) and now fully healed, they restarted their exploration of the inside of the ship and passed another door.
"Kirby and Sweetie Belle are headed for the reactor!"
"If we lose the reactor, this is all over for sure!"
Reeeally?
"Never fear," Vul reassured. "I don't think they can do anything to the reactor."
"So long as a reflected laser doesn't hit the reactor, it will be invincible," the small voice said.
Seriously? Sweetie Belle thought with a deadpan look.
"Eeeyah!" Vul scramed. "Don't even say things like that!"
Too late. Sweetie and Kirby looked at each other smugly.
"Stop with that look, you two!" Vul shouted.
Sweetie answered by sticking out her tongue.
"You...! You...!" They could hear that Vul was about to explode, making Sweetie giggle again. That guy was so fun to mess with, even if he tried to kill them.
They passed the door and ended up just in front of the reactor, in a room full of tubes where they could see Wheelies rolling inside.
Wait, is this reactor being powered by Wheelies? That's slavery! We must save them!
The reactor itself was constituted of a square bipyramidal crystal floating between two big machines coming out of the floor and the ceiling, with electricity racing through blue prods around the crystal. The bottom machine possessed a cannon, and they could see another smaller machine going down from the ceiling above them, targeting them. The small machine then shot a laser at them, which they dodged, the laser bouncing on the floor.
"Ah!" the filly shouted. "We can use this laser to destroy this crystal! Kirby, try to make sure that this machine's lasers reach it!"
"Poyo!" Kirby saluted, only for the two of them to be burned by flames coming from under the floor. When they looked down, they could see some burners moving under the grates of the floor. Then the cannon started to charge and they quickly got out of the way as it fired.
The small laser gun came back and targeted Kirby. The puffball quickly flew beside the core and dodged the laser shot at him. The laser hit the crystal, making it crack.
"Yes! That's it!"
They avoided more flames and another shot from the cannon, and this time, the laser gun targeted Sweetie. Because she couldn't fly, she had no choice but to make sure that the laser bounced from the floor right into the crystal. So she placed herself between the laser gun and the cannon and dodged the laser, which bounced on the floor and hit the crystal, creating more cracks. Another laser, and it was finally destroyed, making the whole room starting to explode. The Wheelies escaped from their chambers and rolled everywhere before escaping the room alongside Sweetie and Kirby.
"The reactor has been destroyed!"
"All of our Wheelie power sources are escaping!"
"Ahhh!" Vul screamed. "What are you idiots doing?!"
Finally, the Warp Star appeared and took them out of here, and it wasn't long before the belly of the ship exploded and the whole structure started to lose altitude.
"We did it! I don't believe it! We destroyed that battleship!"
"Poyo!" Kirby shouted happily, only to become serious again when he looked toward the bridge of the ship. He then pointed at it. "Poyo!"
"Uh? Wait, you want to return on it to go fight Meta Knight?"
"Poyo!"
She sighed. "A-alright. I suppose he deserves some punishment for trying to take over Dream Land. Let's go."
And so, they flew toward the bridge.
"All systems failing! N°3 and N°5 engines are gone!"
"We're junked! Nothing left to do but crash!"
"Attention to all crew!" Meta Knight then shouted. "Evacuate ship immediately!"
Wow! He cares for his men! Sweetie thought upon hearing this.
"Ahhh!" Vul then screamed. "This ship is done for! I gotta get out of here!"
So much for the captain...
They ran inside a hallway as the whole ship was shaking, hearing some explosions here and there and fighting some sort of flying casino wheels that flashed in various colors.
"I'm escaping now!" Vul talked again. "Don't think badly of me!"
"So... Now it's time for the rest of you to escape as well," Meta Knight said as Sweetie Belle and Kirby found a glass of fruit juice and a strawberry shortcake, healing the burns from the reactor.
"I will stay until the bitter end."
"We should finish off Kirby and Sweetie Belle and then all escape together!"
Wow... They are very loyal... Are they that bad?
"...You are all about to perish. Do as you please," Metal Knight said with a touch of sadness.
We will not kill them, we will just beat them. What does he think? she thought as they passed a door to an elevator, eating rapidly a Maxim Tomato on the way. They went up, up, up, and finally reached the bridge, where many knights like they fought at the start awaited them.
"Wait Kirby!!" one of the axe-using knights shouted.
"I cannot let you go any farther!" one of the flail-using ones shouted.
Sweetie took her whip and cracked it on the floor. "Come!"
The big knights then sent their flails at them, forcing them to jump. Back on the floor, Sweetie quickly wrapped her whip around one of the axe knights and made him fly around, hitting many knights in the way. Kirby started to run around, charging electricity around him, and dodged a trident before he sent a big ball of electricity, shocking some of the knights. The knights surrounded Kirby and readied their weapons but Sweetie used her magic to create a shield around him, protecting him. The shield was destroyed but the knights were electrified by Kirby surrounding himself in electricity. Sweetie wrapped her whip around him and made him fly around her, electrifying even more knights. She was slashed by an axe, making her bleed, but she punches its bearer despite that, then hurled him on a group of knights, knocking them like quills. They weren't giving up, and a big one sent a flail at her, but she crouched, letting the flail pass above her, before she shot a few beams at him. Kirby sent another ball of electricity and was able to defeat the remaining knights, or he thought. A last axe knight tried to attack Sweetie from behind only for the filly to punch him in the face from above her shoulder without even turning around.
The axe knight, on the floor, started to talk. "Lord Meta Knight, please take care!"
One of the knights with a flail got up. "We'll go on ahead then!"
"Yes, hurry up before the ship sinks into the ocean," Sweetie Belle said. She turned to Kirby. "Let's go."
He nodded, and the two took another elevator, going up to a door leading to a last small room with a Maxim Tomato, healing the few cuts they got in the fight.
They passed the door.
They entered a room, and here he was, on a platform above them, back turned to them.
Sweetie then talked. "Meta Knight, why? When I met you at the Fountain of Dreams, it didn't seem like you wanted to take over Dream Land. You helped us protect it, and the world."
Meta Knight stayed silent for a few seconds, before speaking. "Three times... It has been three times now that Dream Land has been threatened. First, a self-centered self-proclaimed king took all the food for his own person. Then, a being threatened to cover the world in an eternal nightmare. And last month, that was an incarnation of darkness. With Dyna Blade, we can count it to four. And all those times, the inhabitants of Dream Land, of this world, have done nothing to help. They wait in their homes, hoping for someone to do the job for them. And Kirby has always been the one answering the call, always risking his life to help, without taking anything in return. And then, you came too, Sweetie Belle, joining Kirby in becoming Popstar's shield."
Meta Knight then turned around, facing them. "But there are only the two of you. If you were to fail, then who could defend Popstar behind you? Me? Dedede? And then who? That makes only four!" He swung his sword. "That's why I did that. I want the inhabitants of Dream Land to become more active in defending their lives, even if I have to force them. All of them would become like you two, their own hero, and together, they would be able to help defend this world against the likes of Nightmare. This is why I built this ship, the Halberd. To defend. To attack. To show power. But now.... I failed."
"At least, you wanted to do something to help everyone," Sweetie Belle said. "But your method is wrong. What you are telling is that you want to form a dictature and force everyone into one big army. But you can't force people to become warriors, to risk their life, even if that would be for the better. You would not be better than the ones you want to protect Dream Land from. This is why there are people like us, willing to fight to protect them, so they can live in peace. And if failing means the end of Dream Land, then that means that we will do everything in our power to not fail. And even if we fail, as long as we can still fight, we will continue to fight, like your troops have done."
She sighed. "It's not long ago that I was one of those inhabitants waiting in my home for someone to save the day, back in my world. And that someone was my sister and her friends. They protected Ponyville, Equestria, or even the world more than once, doing everything they could. Just a few weeks before I ended in Dream Land, they fought a giant centaure that had absorbed the magic of everyone in the kingdom, and they lost. And yet they came back, and this time, they won. This is what it truly means to protect everyone. Not force them to take a weapon, but be here to take the weapon for them and do all you can to bring back peace."
Kirby nodded, looking at Meta Knight.
Meta Knight closed his eyes and stayed silent for a few seconds. He then said, "Your belief is strong, but so is mine. Sometime, to do what is right, you must take hard decisions. I have seen wars where the leaders were forced to recruit simple civils to have an army big enough to defend what counted for them. I strongly believe that this is what Dream Land needs, but you strongly believe that you will be enough... So..." He threw a sword at Kirby's feet. "Let's see which of us puts the more strength in our belief. Survive this fight and show me your strength!"
They nodded, and Kirby took the sword, gaining the green hat of the Sword Ability. Sweetie took her whip in her magic and lit her horn. Seeing they were ready, Meta Knight jumped from the platform and landed in front of them, his golden spiked sword ready. "Let me warn you, Kirby. You defeated me in Orange Ocean, however..." Some sort of energy started to build up in his sword. "I was going easy on you!" He then planted his sword, and out of it came a tornado, taking Sweetie and Kirby off guard. The tornado sent them flying into ceiling before they crashed back on the floor, shaken.
Meta Knight didn't let them breathe and charged at them, his cape becoming bat wings that propelled him, revealing his round body and his armored feet. Kirby quickly got up and parried his sword before jumping above the knight and cutting him on the head. As he turned around to follow Kirby, Sweetie Belle shot a beam at him only for him to deflect it before sending from his sword a sharp wave of energy at Kirby who was able to stop it with his sword. He swung back his sword at Sweetie charging toward him, slightly cutting her in the left cheek as she jumped back.
Kirby charged at him, and Meta Knight parried his sword. Sweetie took this to crack her whip on his back, hurting him. Using his wing, he flew away from the two of them, sending a few waves of energy that Sweetie was able to stop with her shield. Sweetie shot back her beams only for the knight to either dodge of deflect them. He then charged back at them and slashed his sword at great speed, cutting them multiple times as they were not able to parry all of them. Sweetie counterattacked by punching him in the face, her hoof surrounded in energy, making a small shockwave at the impact. "Yes!" she shouted at this. She followed the punch with a series of jabs, doing a real Vulcan Jab, hitting Meta Knight a dozen times before sending him flying with a Rising Break, before throwing a Force Blast at him.
Knuckle Joe would be proud!
Meta Knight stabilized himself in the air thanks to his wing only to be cut by Kirby jumping at him. He counterattacked with a slash, and Kirby was sent to the floor. Meta Knight then sent a tornado toward Sweetie Belle and she was barely able to dodge it. Landing on the floor, he jumped at Kirby who parried his sword. The puffball tried another slash but Meta Knight sidestepped it and attacked Kirby on the back only for him to slash three times at the knight. Sweetie took it to use her whip. However, Meta Knight jumped back and sent a wave of energy at her, cutting her. Kirby sent his own wave of energy at him and was able to hit before going back close and personal, the two sword-users trading blows after blows, parrying, counterattacking, slashing, jumping or dodging.
Sweetie kept her eyes on them, trying to find an opening. She eventually shot a charged beam at Meta Knight only for him to dodge it while continuing to fight Kirby. The knight then separated himself from his opponent and sent a tornado at him, and another at Sweetie Belle. Kirby dodged the first one only to be hit by another one hidden behind it, and the same thing almost happened to the filly. To stop him from sending tornadoes, Sweetie shot dozens of beams at him, forcing him to parry them or dodge them. He then charged at Sweetie Belle, slashing Kirby in the way before reaching her and swinging his sword, forcing the filly to use a shield against his endless attacks. Meta Knight was then hit from behind by a wave of energy from Kirby, and the knight flew away.
Sweetie looked at Kirby and the two nodded. Kirby then jumped toward Meta Knight and parried a wave of energy from him before hitting him with a slash, landing, and running. As Meta Knight was about to follow him, he saw Sweetie Belle firing a charged beam at him. He easily dodged it only for Kirby to jump in the way of the beam to deflect it back at Meta Knight, knocking him from the air. Sweetie Belle then sent her whip toward Kirby with her magic and wrapped it around him. She made him gain momentum by making him do some loops, and she finally sent him toward the knight, the puffball raising his sword. Meta Knight got up, saw him coming, and prepared to parry him, only for a Force Blast from Sweetie Belle to hit the sword, causing him to have his sword moved out of the way. At this moment, Kirby slashed his mask, making Meta Knight take a step back.
The mask then split in two.
And they saw his face.
Sweetie's jaw hit the floor. Two small oval-shaped yellow eyes, a mouth, a round body... He looked like Kirby! The main difference was that he possessed real hands instead of tubby arms.
His mask destroyed, his face revealed, Meta Knight wrapped himself in his cape and disappeared after getting up.
Sweetie got beside Kirby, mouth still open in awe. "He... He is from the same species as you Kirby! This is the first time that I see someone else that is really like you! Wait, does that mean that he can also copy abilities?"
"Poyo," Kirby said, shrugging.
And then the whole bridge started to illuminate.
"Oh no!" Sweetie Belle shouted. She quickly went beside Kirby and wrapped the two of them in a shield. Just in time, because not a second later, the whole bridge exploded, followed by more and more explosions all over the Halberd. However, the explosion of the bridge destroyed her shield and the two of them were sent flying outside, Sweetie's hooves wrapped around Kirby.
They soon landed on the remains of the deck around the bridge, hurt and burned, but alive. They slowly got up and looked around them at the wreck that the ship became.
"T-that was close... We must get out of here!"
"Poyo!" Kirby said, nodding.
That was when they saw a Wheelie approaching them. A few seconds later, the Wheelie stopped beside them and nodded.
"You want to help us get out of the ship?"
It nodded.
Kirby smiled at the Wheelie and jumped on it, a helmet with goggles appearing on his head.
"Thank you Wheelie!" Sweetie Belle said, jumping on Kirby's back which, again, was a bit awkward because of her size compared to Kirby and the Wheelie's.
The two of them now on it, the Wheelie started to roll.
And then, Meta Knight appeared above them, flying, a new mask on his face. Without a word, he sent a wave of energy at them, the Wheelie barely dodging it.
"He doesn't give up..." Sweetie said. "Keep an eye on the way, I will protect us!"
"Poyo!"
As the Wheelie rolled, jumped above holes, and went left and right to avoid explosions and debris, Sweetie shot a beam at Meta Knight only for him to dodge. He charged at them, sword ready, and Sweetie stopped him with a shield that broke at the impact before shooting another beam that forced him to go back. Meta Knight went above them and pointed his sword down.
"Dodge!" she shouted, and the Wheelie went to the left, avoiding the knight diving at them. Sweetie used her whip and hit him, pushing him away, only for him to come back with a charge. "Jump!" she shouted, and the Wheelie jumped, dodging Meta Knight's sword. Sweetie then used her magic and took the sword from Kirby, the one that Meta Knight gave him at the start of the fight, and used it to parry Meta Knight's next assault. The knight attacked and attacked again on the sword until eventually, with a big swing, he was able to send it away. Sweetie then shot him with another beam, this time charged and made of both her magic and her energy, and was able to propel Meta Knight away.
"Poyo!" Kirby suddenly shouted.
"What?" Sweetie asked as she turned her head, only to see them approaching the end of the ship. She clung to Kirby, closing her eyes, and Kirby clung to the Wheelie, closing his eyes too.
And they jumped.
After the longest jump of their life, they landed on the ground, the Wheelie able to turn around in the air to face the sea, and the Halberd. Sweetie and Kirby opened their eyes and stared in awe as the ship, once formidable, now an exploding wreck, crashed into the ocean, expelling tons of water in the air. The Halberd sinking in the ocean, the Wheelie turned around, and they started their journey back home, the sun setting in the horizon.
"I'm surprised Meta Knight hasn't followed us. I wonder where he is now," Sweetie Belle said. She then sighed. "That was intense... I'm exhausted. Still..." She laughed. "Destroying a battleship all by ourselves... That is not something I was seeing myself doing when I appeared in Dream Land. Nobody will believe me back home."
Kirby laughed at that. It sure was one heck of a story!
Sweetie then looked back toward the ocean. I hope Meta Knight will change his way. He wants to do good, but his method isn't the good one. She looked back forward. One day, maybe he will help us protect Popstar, the right way.
She closes her eyes, and started to sing.
"Lonely kniiight you have looost the way of the heroooo
To retuuurn you will haaave to restart back from zeroooo
Lonely kniiight don't lose hooope in the light of the woooorld
And your friends
And look back at the sky to search your glimmering guiding staaaar.
Discord closed the portal.
"Oh boy! Explosions, robots, ninjas, humor, lasers, what may be the start of a romance, suspense, turnaround, revelations, not so Manichean, and a final where the heroes go toward the sunset with a song. They gave us quite the spectacle!"
"You don't say!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "They took down a bucking battleship! With lasers! And robots! Just by the two of them! And Sweetie Belle can now throw energy balls! ENERGY BALLS!! And she got to be a real NINJA! WHY IS SHE THE ONE HAVING ALL THE FUN?!!"
"I really hope they will become friends with Meta Knight," Fluttershy said. "He is a good... uhh... puffball, in the end."
"Well, as long as he gets in his head that to protect the world, he must force others to fight, this'll be hard. Ah hope that getting his ship wrecked and being defeated in battle'll knock some sense into him," Applejack said.
"Yeah, he was being a meany, but he was so cool!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Did you see when he threw tornadoes with his sword? And his cape that can turn into bat wings? And his mask?"
Scootaloo then went at Discord's feet. "Please! Send me in this world so I can be with Sweetie! I want to go on adventures like this too! This will be so awesome!"
"No Scootaloo!" Rarity shouted. "This is not a game, or one of your crusades. Sweetie has truly risked her life in this, and she almost got herself killed more times that I dare thinking! If that wasn't for that candy that gave her invincibility, that laser would have... And that huge robot... And that Meta Knight really tried to kill them too! One wrong move and she could have lost her head!" She took a big breath. "This is like the time we were sent to deal with that dragon, or all the times we had to go through the Everfree Forest... And she had many weeks of training behind her to help. Do you think you would be able to go through it? Knowing that you could die at any time?"
Scootaloo remained silent for a time before she answered. "I would probably have to train first, like Sweetie, but if she has been able to, then I can too."
"Me too," Apple Bloom said. "And with our help, she'd be able to better fight bad guys, and protect the world, even if it's scary. Because we are a team."
"Exactly!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "It's like with Rainbow Dash. She is the most awesome pony by herself, but it's when she is with all of you that she is at her best!"
"Well said Scoot!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
Rarity smiled at this and shook her head. "Even if it's a good reason, you will still not go to that world," she said.
"Why?" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom whined.
"Because Discord's already gone," Applejack then said, laughing.
"What?!" they shouted. When they turned around, the draconequus was indeed gone.
Fluttershy giggled at this before she saw Twilight fixing the wall where the portal was. "Twilight? Are you alright?"
"Uh? Oh yes! Yes! I'm alright! Food can heal! Everything floats without reason! Sweetie can become a ninja with Kirby getting on her back! Nothing makes sense! But I'm alright!"
Pinkie then popped beside her. "And this is why this world is so fun! Because as Discord would say, "what is the fun in making sense?""
"And that's why I love that world too!" Discord suddenly shouted from everywhere.
"Not helping!"
Rarity giggled, then looked at the wall where the portal had been. Please Sweetie... take care of yourself...
Sweetie got in her bed, even more stuffed than when she got back in the castle after all the food she ate on the Halberd. She had told everyone what she did, and Knuckle Joe had given her the Maxim Tomato pie as a reward. She had tried to eat only a piece, but after taking the first bit, she had eaten the whole pie in ten seconds flat. It was that good.
The worst part? As a reward for saving Dream Land in his name, Dedede promised more pie tomorrow, and Knuckle Joe promised her another one for doing her first energy ball, which was a Giga Force Blast, and for doing his special Vulcan Rising Blast combo. Ugh...
Oh. And Dedede will make her his second tomorrow, making her the superior of everyone in his army, and another banquet was planned to celebrate that. Re ugh...
Just... Curse this world...
Under the night sky, on a cliff, Meta Knight looked at where the Halberd sank. Beside him were Captain Vul, which was a bearded bird with tan feathers, a beak similar to an albatross and wearing a captain sailor outfit, Sailor Waddle Dee, which was just a Waddle Dee wearing a sailor cap, and some of his knights.
"I can't believe we lost..." Vul said. He took his captain cap and lowered it to cover his eyes in shame. "I failed as the captain."
"We all failed," Meta Knight replied. "We did everything we could, and we lost. Kirby and Sweetie Belle have been better."
"What do we do now?" the Waddle Dee asked in his small voice.
"You and everyone else will repair the Halberd. As for me..." He looked toward the sky. "I have much to think about."