//------------------------------// // Chapter 45: Minecart Racing of Death // Story: A Sweetie Dream Land // by Lucar //------------------------------// The portal drops Sweetie Belle and Kirby in what seems to be a frozen cave, with mountains visible in the background. Despite being slightly hurt by their fight against this Kracko made of paint, they don't lose any time to start their way to find the next portal. They almost immediately have to run to escape falling and rolling icy boulders, until they are able to avoid them by reaching the end of the slope, where they can jump to a level of the cave below which goes in the opposite direction. So they go, and the boulders crash on the wall behind them. After a rather big jump down a vertical section of the tunnel, they find a small cannon that propels them up, at the entrance of a room. Here, Kirby spots, and eat, a Como, a yellow spider with a brown stripe on his body, three eyes, a pair of pincers, six floating hands, and two feet, going down from the ceiling hanging by his web, and gains a new ability. Kirby tests it against another Como, trapping him in a cocoon of web. Kirby decides then to go on Sweetie's back, to see how this new ability will be for her. Once on her back, Sweetie doesn't have any physical change, but after a quick test on a third Como, she sees that she can now throw threads like Kirby to create webs and trap enemies in cocoons. However, she quickly discovers another thing with this new ability: she can climb walls, and walk on the ceiling, like a spider. To avoid Kirby from falling, she uses a web to attach him on her back. Giggling, she starts to sing for herself. Spider-filly, spider-filly Does all she can to be silly "And now, she gets to be like Spider-mare!" shouts Rainbow Dash. Sweetie and Kirby enter a cannon that propel them through iron blocks in the ceiling, where they drink a bottle to heal before destroying a bomb block, opening the way. "You can't complain about this," says Applejack. "We already got our time as superheroes in that comic." "Let's not forget about Mare-Do-Well!" adds Pinkie. "Mare-Do-Well doesn't count because I didn't get to be her," says Rainbow Dash. "But you still did superhero stuff back then, as you!" "Eh, right." Discord smirks toward her. "You know, with one snap, I could give you superpowers." She waves at him. "Eeh. No thanks. I'm already kinda a superhero. My superpower? My speed." Rarity rolls her eyes. "Get your head any bigger and you will lose this superpower." After avoiding some more boulders, they see Sweetie Belle and Kirby entering another cannon, propelling them through more iron blocks in a long straight path. Landing at the top of a slope, they run down it, avoiding even more boulders, before reaching a door after a hole, Sweetie using a thread to propel herself and Kirby above it. "Hey. Who is ready to bet what, or who, they are gonna fight next?" asks Rainbow Dash. "Are you kidding?" asks Applejack. "We know by now that they could fight absolutely anything! Trying to guess what will be next would be like trying to guess the lottery!" They see that Sweetie is now forced to break some fragile walls to continue. "Well... This adventure is starting to be a little long. Maybe next time, they will fight Drawcia," says Fluttershy. "I mean, that's what I think." "I don't know," says Discord. "I feel like there will be one last boss before the big bad. Only two bosses seems a little short. Mmh... But what could they fight next? A robot? A monster made of paint? A clone of someone else, like Dedede, or Meta Knight? They could even fight a clone of a previous bad guy, like Zero." "I'm betting on Dedede!" shouts Pinkie. "So far, they fought Dedede in almost all their adventures, so I'm sure they will fight him again!" "They didn't fought him last time," says Twilight. "Which increase the chances that they fight him this time! Two successive adventures without fighting Dedede would be sad! He is Kirby's rival! They HAVE to fight! Even if it's just a clone!" "Dedede being Kirby's rival doesn't mean that Drawcia will specifically create a clone of him to fight Kirby," says Rarity. "She can choose between absolutely everything in the universe. Why would she choose Dedede?" "Because he is powerful, and has a grudge against Kirby?" By now, Sweetie Belle and Kirby are reaching a tunnel made of star blocks. Destroying some of them, they see stalactites falling from the ceiling above, and a few Bouncys below. They don't destroy the remaining blocks, and walk until reaching another wall to destroy. After the wall, they jump above a propeller creating an air current propelling them up so they reach a small tunnel. "So Pinkie bets on a paint clone of Dedede? Then I bet on Dedede too!" says Rainbow. "I'm not entering this," says Twilight. "Me too," says Rarity. Sweetie Belle and Kirby pass a door after a big room with floating platform and a gulf. They appear before a switch which, once pressed, makes some ice fall from the ceiling to form a stair and free the way. From there, they have to press more switches hidden in the room to be able to continue. "Dedede may be powerful, but Meta Knight is apparently more powerful!" says Applejack. "Why not create a clone of the most powerful guy who has also probably a grudge against Kirby and Sweetie Belle? So I'm betting on Meta Knight!" "Ugg... So true," says Pinkie. "Now I'm not sure anymore! Dedede or Meta Knight? The two are possible!" "Please! Don't make me doubt!" Discord writes something on a board. "So, we have Pinkie and Rainbow on Dedede, Applejack on Meta Knight, and Fluttershy on Drawcia." "I-I was just trying to guess! I don't want to bet!" "Too late, my dear. What about you Spike?" "Mmh... It's hard to choose... Oh! I know! Why not a clone of Sweetie Belle?" "Ooh! I like it! I note! This would be a great showdown before the final battle!" Meanwhile, after going down for a moment, Kirby and Sweetie fall on a platform with the green paint. The platform then starts to move, and Sweetie has to use the paintbrush to protect her and Kirby from falling stalactites. "But what will the winner win?" asks Spike. "I will let all of you decide." He smiles at them. "Unless you want me to decide." "No thanks," they all say. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and Kirby leave the icy cave, jumping in a portal. They reappear in another cave, this one looking like the one they have gone in just after those ruins after Paint Roller. They appear on ground above water, and they can see that they have to go in to continue. Spotting a Rocky, Kirby gives up the Spider ability, and eats the living rock. Now with the Stone, he goes on Sweetie's back again, letting her turn into stone, and the filly jumps in the water, the weight of the stone making her fall all the way to the bottom, until reaching stone blocks and star blocks. that they have to destroy to continue. Sweetie uses the paintbrush to glide above spikes in a small pathway, and seeing that they have to go up from there, Kirby leaves her back, turning her back to normal so she can swim back to the surface while avoiding falling boulders, again. Out of the water, it doesn't take long before they reach a second section of water, this one full of saws, with a small current, and a boulder at the end just before reaching the surface again. For this last one, Sweetie has to destroy it with an energy boosted punch, because the path is too small to avoid it by swimming around. They rapidly reach a third section of water, the path this time blocked by horizontal doors. Thankfully, all they have to do is literally fall on the switches with the help of the Stone ability to press them and open the doors, revealing the black door leading out of this part of the cave. The second part is without water and seems to be a straight path with some small slopes. So they start to walk and... Oh! A Wheelie! Gulp! It's definitely faster to go on a straight path with the Wheel ability! Now with wheels instead of hooves, it only take a few seconds to reach the end of the path, where they fall in the level below going in the opposite direction. They roll through a few blocks, and press a switch hidden among them. Thinking that it may lead to something interesting, they follow the explosions in the air, using a line painted by the paintbrush to roll above holes, and reach the other side of the path where the explosions destroy a few stone blocks, opening the way to the level below while they see more blocks appearing and blocking the way behind them. At the level below, they find a second switch in front of a wall of stone blocks, and pressing it destroy them, but also the path of stone blocks that has been just behind, revealing spikes below. Again with the Wheel and the paintbrush, Sweetie rolls above the spikes and destroys a few blocks in the way just in time before a new wall blocks the way, while more stone blocks are destroyed so they can go to another level below. There, they have to roll again above more spikes after pressing another switch. At the end, they enter a cannon just before the stone blocks under it are destroyed, and when the cannon expels them, it has fallen in the level below. They are propelled through iron blocks just before another wall is created to block the way. In the end, they have done well to follow this challenge, because they find a Maxi Tomato alongside a last switch opening the way. As they eat, Sweetie says "Scootaloo would live for moments like that!" Once done eating, they go down a hole in the floor, and enter a static area, where they land on a platform with green paint, in a round room full enemies, including Bronto Burts, Spear Waddle Dees, Soarars (dart-shaped yellow flying creatures with just two eyes and nothing else), and parachuted bombs. Sweetie jumps from the platform, and uses Wheel to roll all around the room, including the walls and the ceiling thanks to her speed, avoiding the bombs that eventually explode reaching the ground, while ramming all the others. Once all the enemies are eliminated, the door appears on a floating platform at the center of the room, and Sweetie has to time her jump to land on it, the wheels screeching as she stops before rolling beyond the edge. "WOOOHHHH!!! Take that! I'm on a roll!" She rolls through the door, and barely she as she exits it at the other side, she continues rolling in the following tunnel, ramming everything in the way. At the end, she has to jump on a platform above before rolling in the opposite direction. Two more platforms later and one tunnel later, she reaches a room full of star blocks. Using the paintbrush, she rolls through them until reaching another room just above that is also full of blocks. Exiting the room, she rolls under spikes in a small pathway, and when she reaches the end, she jumps on another platform in the level above and rolls in the opposite direction, until reaching a tube like in that colored city. Once out of the tube, they fall in a long vertical tunnel with some enemies easily knocked out with some good wheeled punch before reaching a second tube. the tube leads leads them in a small room where they have to destroy a bomb block in the ceiling, causing a few enemies to drop on them, which doesn't get Sweetie, and opening a hole in the floor. Jumping in it, she restarted rolling, having to use the paintbrush to roll above a gulf before having to go up, where they have to avoid some kind of giant green sea-serpent getting out of holes in the walls to try to eat them. In the worse case, a good punch in the head convinces them not to try again. At the end of the climb, they find the portal, and Sweetie rolls through it. Rolling out of the portal, she immediately hits a wall, stopping her and revealing that they now are in a small room with almost no space to roll, and the only way to go is up through a few platforms. They can also see that they are now in an area similar to that ravine with the sunset. She jumps on the platforms, and once at the top, she destroys a wall of stone blocks. Once the wall is destroyed, she gets a strong wind in the face, forcing her to put a hoof in front of her eyes to better see what is awaiting her. Not too much actually. A few platforms, with enemies on them. Using the paintbrush, she quickly rolls to pass this section, the wheels great at fighting the current. She doesn't even use the cannons that are on some of the platforms. She rapidly reaches a wall, where there is no current anymore, and she goes up to go through a pathway to pass it, where she has to destroy another wall, which bring back the current in her face. From there, she rolls again in the air with the paintbrush, this time having to avoid floating saws. it doesn't take long for her to reach a black door, where she and Kirby quickly drink a bottle beside it. After the door, they end in a place with stone blocks above and below them, the ones below actually a bridge, and a Twister. Sweetie destroys the bomb block, destroying the stone blocks above and revealing that they have to go up in a vertical section. Quickly, Kirby discards Wheel to eat the Twister, gaining Tornado, and he signs Sweetie with a nod to go on him. Understanding, Sweetie Belle clings to him, and just as the stone bridge is destroyed as a result of the explosion of the bomb block, Kirby starts to spin around himself to become a tornado, Sweetie doing all she can to not being propelled, or to not lose what she has eaten. Thanks to the tornado, they are easily able to go up, reaching another stone bridge with more stone blocks blocking the way. They destroy them, and do this a third time, before reaching a new section. Here, the current is back, and the way is blocked by some orange... robotic-like block with a face in the middle of a wall of electricity coming from round prods on it. They could easily go around it, but Sweetie decides to try to find a way to deal with this new obstacle, just in case they encounter one later that they can't go around. Thinking for a few seconds, Sweetie throws the paintbrush at the block, pushing back the block, but not destroying it, only causing it pain if the eyes closing is any indication. At least, it's pushed, so Sweetie quickly throws the paintbrush at it again before it goes back to its initial position, pushing it back even further. More hits, and the prods are finally expelled from its body, the block crashing in the ground while the prods are attracted toward the ceiling and the ground, where they are destroyed. After the block, Kirby uses the Tornado again to go more up, passing star blocks and avoiding those green sea-serpents trying to eat them. They pass another orange block, going against more currents, then go up yet again using Tornado. After passing a few more star blocks, they encounter a new, curious enemy: an orange, balloon-like creature with a blue bottom and four round 'feet', two orange and two yellow. Curious, Kirby gives up the Tornado to eat this thing, and effectively gain a new ability making him inflate like a balloon, becoming really light and bouncing on the walls. He inflates more and more, ramming a few enemies, until he 'pops', creating a small explosion that eliminate nearby enemies while he returns to his normal size. Sadly, it bouncing on the wall is not really that effective to climb up, and Kirby's increased size makes him more vulnerable to the projectiles of the Shotzos that they spot further up. But now comes the second test: the effect of the ability on Sweetie Belle, and the filly really doesn't know what to think it will give her. Will she turn into a bouncing balloon too? Hopefully, it's something else. To her surprise, when Kirby goes on her back, she doesn't become round, but she does become a balloon, a balloon with her normal filly form. She can still move like a normal pony, but with her being far more light, she can bounce higher and further, and thanks to her hooves, she can control the direction where she wants to bounce. The main downside is that now her body does this annoying noise that balloons do when they are pressed or rubbed. Thanks to Balloon, she bounces on the walls and the lines created by the paintbrush to go up, using controlled trajectories thanks to her hooves to avoid the Shotzos and the sea-serpents. Another downside that she encounters while bouncing up is that her punches don't hurt that much anymore, only pushing the enemies back. This downside is easily solved by enveloping her hooves in energy to punch, the energy still making them effective. They pass the black door at the top, leading them in a small cavern with only one way to go. Following the path, they reach a gulf with currents going up. Thanks to her lightweight, the current makes her float up, and from there, the next section is just an ascent thanks to the current, pressing switches to open doors, watching out enemies in the way, until they reach the end of the current, below bladed Gordos floating in the way like fans. At this point, the path does a 180 and they now have to go down, another current pushing them. In the way, they pass beside a Maxi Tomato that Kirby eats, before entering a cannon on stone blocks that Sweetie destroyed just before. The cannon propels them through around blocks, and they now are at the start of another path going up, with more currents. Passing star blocks and enemies, they reach the top, and destroy a wall of stone blocks to continue. They are now at the bottom of a big space with floating saws and a few more enemies. Bouncing around them with some smart use of the paintbrush's lines, they reach the portal at the top. Aaaand back in a dark place! Time to paint another sun! Yet again, in the dark, the result is not pretty, but at least, it give enough light so she can paint a lantern. Now that they can see something, they see that they are just beside a spiked door in a ruined area, with now switch close, forcing them to go the opposite way to search it. Sweetie has to bounce above an electrical floor in the way before reaching the switch in front of spikes. Returning at the now open door, they follow the path until reaching a room full of those Blade Gordos, with propellers creating currents that make her float. Carefully passing the room, they arrive at a saw turning rapidly in the way, too rapidly. She paints a Bomber and throws it at the saw, destroying it and opening the way. She does the same thing to the following saws, until they find another spiked door, with its switch being further, in a small room with electricity coming from the floor and the ceiling. She just throws the paintbrush at the switch, not risking anything. Back at the door, they pass it, and pass between electrical blocks in the floor and the ceiling, before passing a black door leading to a lighted area. Just in case, Sweetie keeps the lantern, before advancing, only to be stopped by a blue block with an arrow pointing up, the block seemingly blocking the way, seeing as there is nowhere to go. She looks at the block in curiosity, then wanting to see what it will do, she throws the paintbrush at it. The paintbrush hits the arrow, and the next instant, the blocks goes up, opening the way, and when it's stopped by the ceiling, the arrow now points down. Not paying attention to the block anymore, they pass through a tube, and after a small hallway, they are stopped by three more of those blue blocks. Hitting the arrows, she makes the three blocks go up, revealing a fourth block, this one going forward, freeing the way. The next room has another block, and when Sweetie hits its arrow, she has to bounce above it to not be crushed between it and the wall behind her. Moving this block frees a Gordo that almost gets her, the filly dodging it with another bounce, only to see that there is yet another block blocking the way down, and this one goes up. However, the first block that has been moved into this room blocks its way, so she first have to move it, returning it to the previous room, before moving that last block. Now able to continue, they go through another tube, and reach a new room, this one being in a static area, with lasers coming from the floor, and those blue blocks at the top. Using the paintbrush, she is able to move down the block, making them block the lasers so they can continue. Passing a third tube, they now have to follow a path with many obstacles, starting with a laser, followed by blue blocks, and spiked floors. After a spiked floor, they reach a green button in front of green blocks. Pressing it, the green blocks disappear, revealing behind them a pink and green button in front of pink blocks. Having an idea of what it will do, Sweetie walks beside it before pressing it, making the pink blocks disappear, and the green blocks reappear behind her, as she has guessed it would do. Now, they enter a room with two doors in the ceiling, and a laser at the end, a switch in the laser's path. using a line to block the laser, Sweetie quickly presses the switch, opening the first door, which drops another switch with another laser. Pressing it open the second door, dropping a green button, with yet another laser. By pressing it, she makes the green blocks at the exit of the room disappear, letting them continue. Passing another tube, they enter a static area, where switches open doors that actually into holes, while also opening a spiked door at the end, just before the black door. Barely they exit the door that they have to jump in a small cannon above a gulf to enter a giant static area full of cannons, forming a real cannon maze with a few bumpers in the way, to Sweetie's annoyance. When they exit the area, they enter a hallway with Bouncys. Following it, they enter a tube, and land on a platform with green paint. The platform starts to move, and Sweetie has to use the lines of the paintbrush to protect themselves from many dangers, simple enemies, cannons shooting fire, and boulders. After all this, the platform leads them in before the portal. Aaand back in a volcano area. She is gaining time with those duplicates of the areas. I hope we will reach her soon, because this is starting to become annoying. Without them, we would already be back home. At least, the 'puzzles' make it more entertaining. She advances, Kirby still on her back until she sees one of those mechanical claws, or grapnel, or whatever, going down to catch her. She is lifted, and thanks to the grapnel moving, she passes above lava surrounding the part where they have appeared. The grapnel releases her above a solid platform above a gulf, and she has no choice from there to glide on a line drawn by the paintbrush to pass above the gulf, and inside a tunnel of lava, until reaching another platform. Here, a second grapnel catches her and drops her on another platform with a bottle of energy drink. Another ride on a line later, they reach a platform with a small cannon that propels them on solid ground, on a slope. At the top of the slope, she spots another grapnel above lava, and uses a line to go under it so it can grab her and lift her elsewhere. She passes above more lava, and she has to attack a few Bronto Burts having the bright idea of attacking them while they can barely move because of the grapnel, before she is dropped on a lone platform above the lava. She has no choice but to continue using the paintbrush. After some gliding, they reach a propeller that propels them up, beside a grapnel. The ride with the grapnel doesn't last long, because it releases them a few meters later, above the lava. Quickly, Sweetie Belle draws a line to avoid being burned alive, and she uses it to reach solid ground. In this place, there are two static areas, with a small non-static path between them, going up toward a platform with a white enemy that would have its place in an icy area. Kirby sees it as a chance, so he signs Sweetie Belle to let him go eat him, because the Ice ability could be useful in this area. When Kirby comes back with Ice, Sweetie Belle says "I'm not sure how I will be able to use the Ice without my horn." Despite this, Kirby goes on her back, giving her her ice form. Feeling the ice power in her, Sweetie start to think of a way to use it. Kirby can use the Ice ability to breath ice, or to surround himself in some sort of freezing aura, so she is probably not limited to only shooting ice balls from her horn. She approaches the lava, the only way to continue, where she spots the door. To reach it, she normally would have to use a line very close of the lava because of the static area just above going all the way to the door, and it would be very risky. She rises a hoof, and gulping, she slowly puts it on the lava. The point where she touches the lava becomes solid lava rock, forming a small platform. Grinning, she puts a second hoof, and it forms a second small platform. A few steps later, and she is now walking on lava! She laughs. "Some ponies say that they can walk on water! Please! I can walk on lava!" Kirby joins her in the laugh. "And you know what is the next step?" she asks. "Poyo?" "Walk in the air!" He tilts his spherical head. "Poyo?" "I may have an idea now, thanks to this. I may not need shield platforms anymore! But first, I need my horn." At this, they pass the door. "Now I'm curious to see this." says Applejack. "Could she really walk in the air?" Rainbow asks Twilight. "That's the thing. I don't know. Yes, an unicorn can self-levitate, but walk in the air, it's never happened. If she has really found a way... It may be one of the greatest magical discoveries since the time of Starswirl!" Pinkie puts a hoof under her chin. "Mmmmmmmmm... It has something to do with her walking on lava, even if she doesn't really walk on lava, but on solidified lava. I'm sure she could really walk on lava thanks to the Fire ability. So... Walk in the air... Maybe thanks to the Wind ability?" "You mean, the Tornado?" asks Fluttershy. "Yes! The Tornado! But for Sweetie Belle, it's really more a Wind ability!" "Walk in the air using the wind?" proposes Twilight. "No, how could she walk on the wind?" "Solid wind?" Twilight is about to rebut her, but she stops herself before putting a hoof on her eyes, groaning. "With this world, it is possible..." Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle has jumped from platform to platform above a pit of lava, before going down a slope while avoiding flamethrower turning on themselves. Right now, she is walking on lava again, just passing a fire wall for the brief seconds that it has stopped before it restarts. "You know girls, when I watch Sweetie Belle like that, I think that we are really lucky," says Applejack. "How so?" asks Rarity. Applejack waves at the filly walking on more lava, before starting gliding on a line above a gulf. "Our adventures don't last that long, we aren't forced to go through dozens of areas with icy caves or volcanoes, we only pass a few traps, and generally, they aren't fatal like those electric floors or spiked walls, and we don't fight that much. In that adventure alone, Sweetie Belle has done more that we have done since we got the Elements. And it's not even her first adventure like that! It's her fourth! In just a few months!" Sweetie Belle is now slaloming between Gordos above a gulf. "Really, we got it easy compared to her," she continues. "I don't know what to think." Discord turns toward her. "Not all heroes go through big adventures around the world. Sometimes, it's just a big climatic, or anticlimactic confrontation against the big bad, and sometimes, it's just being at the right place, at the right time, to do the right thing. But remember that you still saved Equestria a great number of times, and this is not nothing." He smirks. "But it's true that Sweetie Belle is now in another league. The only thing that you have in common is that you fight beings of immense power. Nightmare Moon or Tirek had nothing to envy to the likes of Zero or Dark Mind." After walking on more lava, Sweetie reaches a new section with a small volcano expelling fireballs. She then jumps in a hole, entering a room with those enemies that look like square blocks trying to crush her. She has to make them fall in holes in the floor to get rid of them. Rainbow huffs. "'Fight'? Let's rather call it 'shoot the rainbow and we call it a day'. And when it's not a rainbow, it's a shield powered by love. We barely fight, and when we fight, we lose. But her, she fights, and she wins. I think that's a big difference." "True. True." He then turns into some kind of half human, half goat being. "Do you want me to train you into becoming heroes like her?" "Two words: no thanks!" says Pinkie. Twilight shakes her head. "We don't need training. We are already great heroes as we are." "We may still need to train fighting, a rainbow will not always save us. The wedding was a close call," says Applejack. Discord takes a paper. "Whoever want some good training will have to see me so we can discuss the schedule." "I'm in!" shouts Rainbow. By now, Sweetie has passed a door, entering a tunnel where lava regularly rises from cracks in the floor in the lower parts. The tunnel being rather straightforward, it doesn't take her long to reach the end, where she finds, and enter, the portal. Sweetie Belle and Kirby are back in that area that seems to have been drawn by a kid, on stone blocks, beside a Rocky that Kirby immediately eats. There has been many water sections the previous time, so it may happen again. It doesn't take long to reach one. Barely they destroy the floor of stone blocks, they find themselves having to swim down in water through star blocks. With Sweetie now made of stone, they quickly reach the bottom, where they fall on spikes after destroying a star block hiding them. Thankfully, her stone body makes her invulnerable to the spikes, to her joy. Walking on the spikes, she rapidly find herself on those blue moving blocks. One press later, and the block she is on goes down. From there, it's one big descent through many obstacles, having to pass Gordos, mobe blue blocks, destroy star blocks, and press a switch to open a path until entering a small tube that gets them out of water, in a short hallway. There, they enter another tube, and they return in water, this time with a current. They have to go up, so Kirby has to leave Sweetie Belle so her body isn't made of stone anymore. The filly has to destroy many star block in the way, then stone block, before having to avoid the Gordos with blades. After the Gordos, she has to move a blue block, trapping a Gordo, before they can pass a black door. Again in water, they are now face to Blippers, Glunks, and floating mines in a long tunnel. to pass all this, there is some kind of accelerator on the floor that propels them forward when they walk on it, ramming the enemies in the way. After a second accelerator under spikes, they pass a saw before having to press a switch to destroy stone blocks in the way, also revealing an electrified ceiling. Somehow, the electricity doesn't spread in the water, thankfully. They pass more electrical floor and ceiling, then destroy more stone blocks, either with switches or bomb blocks, then pass a saw, then more electrical path with more saws and even fragile walls before reaching the door. Drawcia really wants them dead now. Now out of water, they only have to break a floor made of stone block before returning in it. Already, they have to fight their way through Blippers, pass an electrical fan, they walk or swim under spikes. they reach the end of this section of water, only to enter another under star blocks, also full of aquatic enemies. with even falling boulders. Passing a succession of walls of stone blocks, they enter a tube, leading them in another section of water full of Glunks with spikes in close spaces. After the spikes, they have to go through moving holes in electrical walls, then walls of star blocks, before entering the portal. They appear in a tunnel, beside two tracks. Immediately, they spot something not good at all: explosives EVERYWHERE! Further down in the tunnel, they see Dedede placing them. "Dedede?" "Ah! We won!" "Darn..." The penguin hears her call and spots them, surprised. "What?! You are already here?" He then growls before pressing a button on a remote control, activating a countdown in all the bombs. "No matter!" He jumps in a minecart. "It should be enough!" As the minecart rolls beside Sweetie and Kirby, he shoots at them "I stuffed this whole mountain in explosives! When I go out, I will close the door, and you will not escape! BWAAHAHAHAHA!!!" "No way! Quick Kirby!" Sweetie jumps with Kirby in a smaller minecart on the second track, and it starts to roll, following Dedede's. However, they rapidly reach the end of the tunnel, entering an immense cavern with the tracks above bottomless pits, and when Dedede spots them following him, he orders his minions to destroy their track. "Horsefeathers!" "Poyo!" "Don't worry Kirby! Leave it to me!" just as their minecart reach the destroyed part, she start drawing a line, the minecart successfully rolling on it, to Dedede's dismay. "That can't be right! Minions! Attack! Attack!" Countless flying enemies start to charge at them to stop them. Sweetie Belle tries to not pay attention to them, trying instead to avoid them by painting the track around, which cause her to lose time. She leans the minecart forward as much as she can to gain speed, and before long, they are catching up to a surprised, and angry Dedede, his track also having many turns making him lose time. She draws her track close to his and she starts attacking his minecart. "H-hey! You wanna play like that?!" He swings down his hammer at them, and Sweetie is forced to make her minecart roll away to not be crushed, only to be rammed by a Bronto Burt, making her lose speed. Dedede then throws his hammer at them, and Sweetie has to roll around it as it falls. To her surprise, Dedede has more hammers to throw at them, and soon, it starts raining hammers, adding to the difficulty. thankfully, some of the hammers hit Dedede's minions. To regain speed, she draws a slope going down, then end it with a loop. As she catches Dedede again, she sees another hammer about to fall on them. She jumps, and spin kicks the hammer to send it hitting Dedede in the head, stunning him a little as stars turn around his head. Back in the minecart, she barely avoids a boulder falling from the ceiling of the cavern, a gift of Dedede's minions. Gordos appear among the enemies, forcing her to keep an eye on the way. "Poyo!" She makes the minecart go to the right, avoiding a second boulder. "Poyo!" Another boulder avoided. She then fire a Giga Force Blast at the ceiling, making the cavern shake and causing countless boulders and stalactites to rain everywhere, crushing many of the enemies, but also forcing her to constantly go left and right to dodge them. Some of the boulders fall on Dedede's track, creating holes in it. His minecart bounce above a first hole, and the shock of the landing helps Dedede recovering his senses. seeing the holes and the falling boulders, he makes his minecart jump above a hole before hitting a boulder with his hammer, sending it at Sweetie Belle. She avoids it by making a slope. Darn! She is losing! She can see the exit of the cavern, and Dedede is getting closer to it. The penguin is laughing, assured of his victory. Grinding her teeth, she quickly paints a straight line for her minecart before sending the paintbrush in front of Dedede's minecart. There, she draws a line on his track, and makes it go to the left, right into a wall! "Wh-?! Nononononono!!!" BAM! His minecart explodes against the wall, and Dedede is now flattened against it. As Sweetie laughs, she restarts drawing her track before her minecart reaches the end of the line she has drawn, and before long, she passes Dedede who is now falling in the pit. She reaches the exit and start to go as far away from the mountain as possible. A few seconds later, the whole mountain explodes. As debris start to rain everywhere, and a giant wave of falling rocks come behind them, they reach the portal, and pass it.