My late evening walk to The Hay Burger was uneventful. The only thing that broke the silence was my conversation with Knightwing, about his sorrow for Kirby's failed attempt to bring joy to his enemy. "Helix, I know this must be terrible in your eyes. Kirby is the greatest hero in all of Equestria and beyond, yet he failed to befriend the vicious Lord Tirek. I suppose not everyone can be turned into an ally."
I sympathized with Knightwing, sighing as we exited the boundary of the desert on our way back. "Alas, I believe your assumption to be true. Kirby must have been heartbroken upon learning that harsh lesson, because he just wants to make friends. Kirby knows that the joy of turning an enemy into a friend is very hard to parallel. Sadly, not only did Tirek completely reject Kirby's act of friendship, but he also vandalized the art that the pink puffball had worked so hard on."
"It is no wonder why Kirby was so outraged. He tried so very hard to put that piece of art together, only for that centaur to decimate it, thinking that he was too good for it."
"I know Tirek was a bad guy, but I didn't expect him to be that bad. The creatures of Equestria are very misleading, even in comparison to the humans on Earth." I paused. "...The writers most certainly went all out to make sure the show was as relatable as possible. I've got to give them that."
When I entered the Hay Burger joint, I had discovered that there were barely enough seats for all of us Elite Allies, the Mane 6 and Spike, and Doctor Hooves. I sat down in a booth that also housed the Doctor, Spike, and Button Mash, all of whom seemed sorrowful. I said, "Waiter, what is on the menu?"
The waiter replied, "I'm happy to say that we decided to make some additions to the menu in honor of your truly incredible victory over Lord Tirek. We now have Triple Deluxe hay burgers, Star Warrior Cookies, Hypernova Smoothies, Gigantamusic Donuts, and Pop Star Lollipops for the little foals."
"Gigantamusic?"
Meloetta leaned out of her booth--which was behind mine--and she waved to me. "Remember when I became giant and took on another form? I called it Intense Crescendo at first, but when the waiter had the idea of calling their new donuts Gigantamusic Donuts, I thought, 'Gigantamusic! A brilliant name for such a powerfully melodic transformation, and yet I wasn't the one to coin that term?' It was music to my ears!"
"I see. In that case, waiter, I will take a Hypernova Smoothie."
The waiter replied, "Sure. But for some reason, though, our top customer didn't want any of our new items. I thought for sure that he'd enjoy them. All he wanted was a doughnut with nothing but glazed frosting on it."
Spike said, "That's because he got let down big time. Kirby just wanted to make a friend, but apparently you can't befriend every bad guy. We've got the villains who want to take over the world... and then there's Tirek. He took rude to a whole new level with Kirby."
In the booth in front of me, Pummel turned and faced the waiter. "Tirek is just messed up in the head. His big dumb brain can't comprehend friendship. That is one advantage we have over him: we understand and can fully utilize the magic of friendship!"
"Hmm..." I heard someone sigh from a booth in the corner. I had a feeling he would be here, because that's how story logic works.
The waiter returned with a large smoothie that contained a swirl of colors. "Here's your Hypernova Smoothie, Helix. Is there anything else you want?"
While taking my smoothie, I glanced back at the almost-empty booth. "...Actually, I would also like a Pop Star Lollipop. How much will that come to?"
The waiter laughed. "This was the tenth time one of you new heroes asked that today! As thanks for saving Equestria, our new items are on the house! That's the best we can repay you all!"
"Thanks for the kind offer." As the waiter went back to prepare the lollipop, I took a sip of my Hypernova Smoothie. My pupils dilated. "I may not be a food connoisseur, but... this smoothie really lives up to its name! What ingredients were used to make this delightful concoction?"
Roborygon flew over to the smoothie. "Analyzing molecular makeup... The ingredients include but are not limited to the following: Citrus juices, limeade, fruit punch, pink lemonade, and pineapple juice, as well as Oran, Sitrus, Leppa, and Lum Berries donated to the Hay Burger by some of the Elite Allies. That isn't all, though; if you feel a small burst of energy, that is because there is a very special ingredient... rinds from the Miracle Fruit!"
Luckily, I somewhat expected such a twist, so I did not fall victim to a spit take. Rather, when the waiter came back carrying the lollipop with rainbow swirls, I merely asked, "How did you obtain rinds of the Miracle Fruit?"
From another booth, Twilight answered, "As a last resort, I brought them to the Hay Burger joint for later, because I anticipated a trip here after such an adventure as this. When I saw the rainbow-colored Kirby leave the Lor Starcutter, I just had to investigate to figure out what gave him the coloring. After I went in the door that had the sign 'In case you need a miracle' above it, I found a few leaves and some orange and blue strips on the ground. That suggested that there was a plant nearby, but I didn't find any. It was like it had disintegrated, but with no traces of disintegration! Out of curiosity, I took the leaves and strips to Zecora, but even she didn't know what they were from. But then I thought back to the sign. The plant must have produced some kind of miracle fruit that gave Kirby that power before spontaneously disappearing!"
"Exactly. Watch this video clip, and you will see what happens." Roborygon's antenna produced a video clip from Kirby: Triple Deluxe. The titular hero walked along a grassy path before encountering a small sprout. When he got close, the sprout quickly matured into a vine that produced a crimson fruit surrounded by the strips that Twilight mentioned. "The Miracle Fruit is named so because it vastly enhances the powers of the one who consumes it." Kirby inhaled it, and his pink skin literally burst off of him, revealing a new, rainbow-colored skin underneath. The vine disintegrated soon after, leaving no trace. "No one is certain why the Miracle Fruit or the Dreamstalk that produces it acts as they do, but it seems as if the Dreamstalk has a mind of its own; the vine didn't grow and produce the fruit until Kirby came near, suggesting that it was actively trying to help Kirby save the day. The vine also seems to be smart enough to know when the Miracle Fruit has been consumed, as seen when it disintegrated right after Kirby ingested the fruit."
Twilight asked in wonder, "Are all plants from Pop Star that intelligent?"
"No. The Dreamstalk is actually from Floralia, and it was produced when the People of the Sky put all their wishes and hopes into a seed and sent it to Pop Star in hopes of bringing a hero to conquer Queen Sectonia, thus explaining its sentience."
The waiter returned with the Pop Star Lollipop, and I was quick to take it. I got up and walked towards the Star Warrior's booth. From the booth connected to his, Lucario stopped me. His Aura emanated from his paws. "...Good luck, Helix. As of now, he's a tough nut to crack."
I nodded before continuing to Kirby's booth. The pink ball didn't say anything in response to my presence, only taking another small bite of his glazed doughnut and turning away from me. It was time for me to take action. I placed the Pop Star Lollipop in front of Kirby. "...Poyo?!" Kirby looked at me in surprise.
I sat down next to him. "You didn't deserve to be treated so poorly by that big bad Tirek. I know, because I was in your place once, trying to be a friend only to be rejected."
Everyone came over in curiosity. "What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. "Could you please tell us? That way, we would be better able to understand you."
I sighed. "It all started when I was just a schoolboy. I was unlike everyone else in the school I went to. Now, don't jump to conclusions. I didn't have unstable psychic powers. I wasn't limited to a wheelchair. And I wasn't bald. Not that it matters, because Professor Xavier isn't my idol nor a person whom I abhor. You see..." I put on a small smile. "...I was the kindest, most gifted, and most intelligent student in the entire school. I got straight A's, I was in the Honor Roll, and I even got my master's degree in science, technology, engineering, and math. Was I living the good life? Not exactly. On the contrary, I encountered various metaphorical stumbling blocks, some larger than others. The small things didn't faze me: if someone called me Four Eyes due to having glasses, I would always take it in stride and make the snarky comeback that I had better eyesight--and look at me now, I'm an owl Pokemon!--and whenever I got locked in a locker by a bully, I would always pick the lock from the inside to escape--good for skill training! I thought of those less as problems and more as practice and extra credit.
"The real problem, however, came in high school. During lunch, I noticed a boy sitting by himself, with no lunch to speak of. He seemed quite sad and frustrated, so I chose to sit next to him. I asked if he was okay, but he didn't answer. I asked what was wrong, and he still didn't answer. I supposed he could use a friend, so I offered him some of my lunch. And then... he snapped. He slapped my lunch out of my hands, hit me with a barrage of insults and profanity, and told me that he didn't need any friends. That onslaught of personal insults and denial of my friendship stabbed my heart directly. Never before had I ever encountered anyone who didn't want a friend. As he stormed off, I stood in horror as I felt something I had never felt before...Hatred. Fear. Vengeance. Lust for power. They were too much for me to handle, so I utilized the repression defense mechanism and put those emotions deep down inside me so I wouldn't have to worry about them. But as I continued through life, the emotions began to corrupt me from their hiding place. Their toxic side really showed as I matured and passed college, when I was in the laboratory/home I had built for myself.
"I was doing research when I came across something very unusual: my computer had picked up a strange signal not far from my lab. Further investigation revealed that the signal was coming from a mysterious ring, which was actually a two-way portal to the world of Pokemon. My newfound dark side rose up and convinced me to catch fiercely strong Pokemon to aid with my revenge--I also set off to catch every species, and rare color variations of species known as Shiny Pokemon, because of my natural desire to go above and beyond." I looked at Pummel. "Not long after, I learned about you and your amazing expeditions through the world of Pokemon and your transformation into one yourself."
Pummel continued the story. "So Helix used his partners--which for some reason he treated kindly--to kidnap me and obtain a small sample of the potion Archie and Maxie used on me and my mom. He analyzed its chemical makeup to concoct another potion in order to transform himself into a Pokemon--Shiny Decidueye, to be precise. Then he gave me and my friends time to train before the big battle with him. Except, he wasn't alone; he was so corrupted by his negative emotions that he chose to fight us on Pop Star, where he revived Soul of Sectonia with Miracle Fruits and powered up Marx to Marx Soul--with the power of the remnants of Star Dream Soul OS--to fight alongside him. Unfortunately, Soul of Sectonia betrayed him and directly attacked him, rendering Helix unable to fight. In an attempt to bring down the two villains, he suggested that I Capture him. I took his advice and brought down the reincarnated insect queen, but we had to use a music-powered Friend Train to take down Marx Soul."
I finished, "That took a lot of energy, so we lost consciousness. As we healed in the Expedition Society, Pummel and I shared a dream. I told him why I did such irrational things and poured out my heart to him, and he forgave me. Forgiving me wasn't the only kind thing he did; Pummel even offered me a chance to join the Expedition Society to redeem myself! Knowing that I had to repay him in some way, I gladly accepted the offer. Thanks to that boy who didn't want a friend, I had forgotten what it was like to be a good friend. But now, I am once again a valuable ally learning to be a good friend to those I encounter. I just had to forget about the past and look forward to what's next for me in life. I also learned to understand that not everyone can, or wants to, be befriended."
"..." Kirby was silent with disbelief. Then he suddenly hugged me, tears of gratitude in his eyes. "Poyo!"
I smiled. "That's the Kirby I know. I just had to remind you of a friendship lesson or two, using my own friendship lessons as a guide."
Amy happily said, "And this concludes yet another amazing friendship adventure in Equestria. I think it's time for us to go home, everyone!"
But Meloetta was hesitant. "For some reason, I think we're forgetting something... By show of hands or hooves, who here can tell me what they think is missing from our adventure?"
Pinkie wildly waved her hoof in the air. "Ooh, me! I do! Pick me! Pick me!" Pinkie's usually right. And when she's right, she's right. And since she says she knows what's missing at the end of the adventure, she really knows. Because at the end of every adventure...
"Hit it, DJ Pon-3!" ...is a celebration of some sort. In the case of this adventure, we had an outdoors dance party, hosted by none other than Pinkie Pie. "This is the biggest, bestest party I ever planned, all for the new heroes of Equestria!"
King Dedede laughed. "Oh, come on now, lil' ol' me a hero? Surely you jestin'!"
"Nope! I don't jest around when it comes to parties! Wanna go first in this dance party?"
"Whatever you say, Kirby wannabe. Time for some De-De-Deluxe dancing!" And by "dancing", the king must have meant "pretend clobbering," because he looked more like he was letting his hammer do the dancing for him using the power of inertia.
As we watched the great king show off his clobbering weapon, Lucario walked up to me. "Helix, you are curious about something. It might help if you were to share your curiosity with me."
I nodded. "I am quite sure that you will be able to help cure my curiosity. I must know something: Back when you battled Tirek, you exclaimed the name of an attack that quite surprised me... How did you know you did an Ora Ora Ora?!"
The master of Aura smiled. "I am an Expedition Society Member. We don't go out on expeditions all the time. Using our leisure time, we like to relax and do things like watch television and play video games. I, for one, like to try my luck at fighting games with combo attacks. I called out 'Aurayuken' when I hit the monstrous Tirek with an uppercut that transitioned into Aura Blast from Pokken Tournament, because I am exceptional at Parkway Puncher. Out of all the other players I have faced, only a player was able to defeat me: R. Bygon. He used Busk, the Combusken, to conquer Rio, my favorite fighter and one of my own species."
I raised an eyebrow. "R. Bygon? Doesn't that sound a little suspicious to you?" I plucked an arrow and gave it to Lucario.
With a confused expression, he accepted it... then he realized the origin of the name. "...I have been beaten by a literal computer player! This is an outrage!"
Although his auditory senses detected Lucario's outburst, Roborygon payed him no attention, muttering to himself, "Ryu is excellent at using energy attacks. Lucien is French for light. Light is good. MP must be an abbreviation for something. The only being I know that enjoys using energy attacks, is a hero of light, and is affiliated with the abbreviation MP is... wait a minute." He turned towards the Aura vulpine before a red exclamation point appeared over the robot's head. "RyucienMP?!"
Roborygon's visual monitors shrank. "Oh, for--" He had no time to finish his thought, for Lucario tossed the quill right at the exclamation point, turning it into white bubbles as Roborygon's visual sensors turned into swirls. "Visual monitors... distorting..."
Lucario winked at me. "Greninja taught me how to play Iron Gear. It's a really good series to me."
I winked back. "It must remind you of the Subspace Emissary."
"It certainly does, Helix. As for the Ora Ora Ora, I would have made a Dragon Ball reference, but there's no name for that close-combat rush attack; therefore, I settled for Jojo. Personally, I try to avoid mature media, but I know about the Ora Ora Ora from memes and social media."
"Sorry to let y'all down, but that's the end of mah mallet mayhem!" Dedede said as he got down from the makeshift stage. He glanced at the judges--Pinkie Pie, Meloetta, and Discord--who held up their score cards: Pinkie gave the king a 7; Meloetta gave him an 8.5; and Discord gave him the scene from Cartoon Buffoon ("Hehehe I am a superstar warrior!") that likely spawned a meme or two. "Hey, Aura guy, it's your turn!"
Lucario looked at me one last time. "I'm ready to get up there and let my creative Aura run free, so tell Pummel about any other questions you have." He then jumped onto the stage and began to perform various Japanese warrior maneuvers, using Bone Rush as inspiration for several of his movements.
I began to walk towards Pummel, but Twilight and Keldeo caught my eye. "What's going on?" I asked them.
Twilight replied, "I'm teaching Keldeo a little about magic during the party."
Keldeo said, "Turns out that using magic works kind of the same way as using my sword. I just have to concentrate my energy into my horn. But every time I tried doing that, I only ended up unsheathing my Secret Sword. What am I doing wrong? I need to know what to improve!"
I looked at the Colt Pokemon's jagged blue horn. "Keldeo, I believe you might only be focusing your willpower into your horn. You must be too used to using sheer determination. You were determined to become a Sword of Justice. You were determined to defeat Kyurem. You were determined to befriend Pummel to save the day and have fun together. But when you fought Super Bowser... there was something different about you."
Lucario got down from the stage, using his Aura to know what the judges gave him: Pinkie gave him an 8; Meloetta gave him a 9; and Discord gave him a lightsaber emoji. Lucario turned to Keldeo. "Helix is correct. When you engaged in battle with Super Bowser and used your magic, I did not sense determination. Rather, I sensed... your bond. With Pummel. When Super Bowser seemingly crushed your best friend, that was when your aura changed from the orange of determination... to the pink of friendship. It happened again versus Tirek. Pummel reminded you of Forecast Change, the first move you used when you truly tapped into your friendship."
Keldeo exclaimed, "But the Bond Phenomenon..."
"That represented your bond of trust. The bond of trust and the bond of friendship are two different things. When you trust someone, you know that they will be there by your side. When you are friends with someone, you have even more than mere trust. Meta Knight assists Kirby occasionally throughout his adventures. That is Meta Knight putting his trust in Kirby, and vice versa; Kirby knows that Meta Knight would never harm him unless it was for a good cause. When Pummel was nearly killed, you openly expressed that you were to do anything possible to prevent him from losing his life, and that if he did lose his life due to some outside cause, then you would surely avenge him. That is true friendship, true love."
Keldeo seemed downtrodden. "Oh. So you're saying that the Bond Phenomenon is just--"
"The first stage of friendship. With that came your Phenomenal Sword, Hydro Hoof, Magnetic Heart, and Maneferno attacks. It's a big leap, but true friendship is even greater a leap than a bond of trust. Look at the Mane Six. They became the Bearers of Harmony, and all because Celestia sent Twilight to make a few friends. You should be honored to be such a good friend that you have obtained your cutie mark, a symbol of your true friendship."
Keldeo was suddenly ambushed by Pummel, who hugged him. "And I thought I was the one who initiated the friendship. Nice work, buddy!"
Lucario nodded. "Pummel, you are correct. You were indeed the one who initiated the friendship, but Keldeo openly expressed his bond of friendship with you. That forced open the pathway to him unleashing his friendship. But Pummel, you weren't quite prepared for such a revelation, causing the heroic colt to exhaust his energy supply quickly."
"Wait a minute. You're saying I was self-conscious of what my favorite Pokemon thought of me, and my self-doubt was what caused him to faint?"
"Precisely. You should never doubt yourself or your friendship. That only causes you to drift apart and weaken your bond of friendship. All you have to do is know that you're the best friend you'll ever be, and let the magic of friendship do the rest of the work."
"...I understand now! Back then, I still had doubts about what Keldeo thought of me. But as we fought Tirek, I wasn't afraid of anything, not even what others thought of me. Twilight and Celestia taught me to be myself, and that's what I chose to do. Man, this whole adventure is full of friendship lessons!"
I said, "And full of references. Pummel, I need you to tell me: You referenced Jojo. How did you know you referenced Jojo?!"
"I did? I know I referenced The Avengers, but who's Jojo?"
I glanced at Lucario. "Go ahead and tell them what I mean."
The Aura Master obliged. "Apparently you don't follow social media and memes. You made one of the most famous Jojo references when you fiercely stuck your fingers in Lord Tirek's nose."
Pummel laughed. "Oh, that! That wasn't meant to be a reference. First of all, it was a better place to grip him for slamming him around Hulk-style. Second of all, I was actually trying to insult him. And I'm sure it worked. There are two different groups on this planet: those who love getting their nose picked and those who hate it. Tirek's a big bad villain; you know he's with the 'hate it' crowd."
"I got it on video!" Discord suddenly screamed. He was holding a camcorder. "I got it on video! This is going straight to whatever social media sites you have on your world!"
Roborygon deadpanned. "Access denied. Look behind you, and say hello to my little friend. As for everyone else, only the strongest-willed may be allowed to look."
The unfortunate draconequus obliged, and he was staring into the heartless eyes of a vicious animatronic bear with a top hat. Discord immediately dropped his camera, which broke upon contact with the ground. "...Mommy."
Roborygon disengaged the hologram. "See, I can be scary when I want to. I don't joke around when it comes to disturbing sights that will induce nightmares of sheer horror, but be glad Darkrai didn't scare the chaos out of you."
Discord created two suitcases and grabbed them. "Right, well... I'm gonna go wash my brain out. Don't want that jumpscare bear infecting it!" He then transformed into a bus and took off into his own dimension.
I laughed. "The party's not over until the draconequus has had too much chaos!"
"And even then, the party's not over!" Pinkie replied. "It isn't over until the pink puffball does his thing!" She put on a pink hat with Kirby's face on it and waved a foam finger with #1 on the sides. "Go, Kirby! Show us just how awesome everyone's favorite Star Warrior is!"
"Not yet, because there's still one thing left I'd like to do before the grand finale." With that, Pummel rushed over to Doctor Hooves and confronted him. "Doctor, next time you better warn me before you unleash something with such incredible nostrils. That could have seriously damaged my reputation."
The Doctor replied, "First of all, why didn't you flee when you saw Helix's Sandaconda? He had very large nasal openings, even though he wasn't Gigantamaxed. And second of all, it wasn't my fault that Forest Horn triumphantly neighed as it used Max Starfall! Is there any way that I can make up for that?"
"First of all, that was a snake with double-barrel sand cannons. That's different than a unicorn's... heavenly nostrils."
I high-fived Pummel. "Nice reference."
"Thanks. Gotta love references. Anyway, second of all..." Pummel sighed. "...you can't make me forget about the Galarian Rapidash, so there's no way to make up for it..."
"But I can." I took on the form of a cybernetic alien with a brown body. I aimed my three-fingered hand at Pummel's eyes and flashed the red, green, and yellow lights on my fingertips.
He stared at them as if in a trance. "..."
"...Memory erasing completed."
Pummel shook himself out of the trance. "Huh? Whoa, that was weird. Thanks, Helix!"
I returned to my Decidueye form. "No problem. Now it's time for the grand finale. Kirby, do your thing!"
"Poyo!" Kirby held his hand up. "Party cannon!"
"I was hoping you would say that!" Pinkie Pie pulled a blue cannon with tan wheels out of her mane. She aimed it at Equestria's pink savior. "Whenever you're ready!"
Kirby did not hesitate. "Fire!" Ka-BOOM! Pinkie unleashed a blast of confetti, and Kirby inhaled every single strip of it.
He flipped up into the air, where he was oblivious to what was behind him: a large, colorful, extravagant tank aimed right at the pink hero. Only when Kirby turned to see what was behind him did the tank fire a massive blast of confetti, which launched Kirby down onto a float with a star motif. After recovering from the blast, Kirby was revealed to have gotten a hat like that of a conductor of a band. The hat had a pink star with white wings towards the top. Kirby was then subject to streamers, which formed seven feathers--one of each main color of the rainbow--on the back of his hat, resembling a male peafowl's feathers. What's that? ...Oh, did I neglect to mention that the animal everyone refers to as a peacock is actually called a peafowl? The name of a male peafowl is a peacock, and females are known as peahens. Anyway, back to the event at hand.
Kirby and Pinkie turned and looked at the pilot of the tank. They simultaneously beamed. "Cheese Sandwich!"
The yellow Earth pony with a puffy brown mane got out of the cockpit. "Hey, Pinkie Pie! Looks like I came right on time! Did you really think I'd miss a party like this, one that celebrates a real doozy of a victory?"
"...So, it appears you have seen the battle between us and Lord Tirek," Lucario said after a pause.
"You couldn't be more right! I was journeying to find ponies in need of parties when I stopped in San Palomino Desert. I just had to see what was going on with the explosions and giant creatures, but I kept my distance. Didn't want to get caught in the heat of the fight. Say, aren't you the guy who hit Tirek with a bunch of glowing blue attacks?"
"Indeed. I am Lucario, master of Aura, and a friend to Kirby, the pink ball you see before you."
Just like everyone else who had heard of Kirby's exploits when he first came to Equestria, Cheese was taken by surprise. "Wow! So this is the hero of the stars that I've heard of!" Cheese bowed before Kirby. "Cheese Sandwich, traveling party extraordinaire."
I replied, "I would introduce each of us, but that would take too long. Right now, it's time for Kirby to take the stage in this dance party!"
"Poyo!" Kirby raised his hand in the air. "Ready?"
Pinkie replied, "Of course we're ready for you to dance, silly! You're the real star!"
The Doctor shook his head. "I don't believe that is the message he is trying to convey. He must want us to join him in the grand finale of this performance!"
Twilight asked, "Wait, you mean like a... festival dance?"
Meta Knight nodded. "Precisely. The potential of the Festival Ability--"
"Increases with each additional performer! I'm really glad my Mirror clones gathered information about the various Abilities during our exploration of the Lor Starcutter. So, are we all ready to perform the Festival Dance?"
Everyone in the vicinity replied "Yes!" and got onto or next to the float. As they performed a festive dance, Meloetta played a tune as she sang:
Kirby sucked Lord Tirek's strength away
Now we can have some fun and play
It's finally time for us to say,
"The Star Allies saved the day!"
We all waved as the judges held up their cards: Meloetta held up an 11; Pinkie held up a 100; and Discord had a video of a bunch of fans (the paper kind) on a couch while watching a sport, the fans then bursting into celebration upon seeing their team win.
Roborygon asked, "Has everyone prepared to leave this planet and go home?"
I shook my head. "Not yet. I have some unfinished business to take care of." I turned to Button Mash. "Ready to do a number on Skelegrin?"
Button grinned widely. "You bet I do!"
"Aw man, you said I'd be able to hurt him! Since he won't let me have my turn now, I'll never get to attack him!"
"No, just follow my instructions. Remember the incident with Skelebone?"
"Yeah, I had to jump higher than--oh. You mean..."
"That's right. Just sneak over to the left... more... a little more..."
"Now I just gotta drop down some..."
SLASH
"...Helix... Did I really just do 9,999,999 damage to Skelegrin?"
"Yep. Watch this."
"Hey, he's still alive! How did that not kill him?! And where's he going? He's going off-screen!"
"Wait for it..."
<...Skelebone, you want anything?>
"There it is."
"B-but you said that you'd help me defeat him!"
"Not really. I said that I'd help show you the secret to damaging him. It's seemingly impossible to defeat Skelegrin."
"So beating everyone up..."
"Pretty much ensures a game over. You made the right move by completing the pacifist run first. Besides, failing to defeat Skelegrin isn't as bad as getting trolled by a flower."
"Good point. But if I can't even beat both of the polar opposite runs of a game... then Understory isn't the game for me. Is this the end of my career as a video game master?"
"On the contrary, really. I honestly do think you killed Skelegrin. You had to kill Skelebone to fight Skelegrin, and since he asked if Skelebone wanted anything, that implies that he died too, off-screen. Besides, the reign of video games will never end, and new games come out all the time. Here's an idea: in about two years, there will be a new game where you get to capture unique creatures and train them to become the greatest warriors ever. I highly suggest you look forward to that game, for I will be more than able to help you beat it to one hundred percent."
I returned to the Lor, where everyone was waiting for me. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go home."
Magolor floated over to the keyboard, where he quickly began pressing buttons. "Setting coordinates for Pop Star, and... we're off!"
The mighty Lor Starcutter lifted into the air, and just like that, we were flying through the cosmos at very high speeds. I would describe the speed as warp speed, but if that were the case, we would be back in Pop Star in the blink of an eye; remember that we free-falled into Equestria from the final battle not far from Kirby's home planet.
Sonic said, "It's really fun to beat up bad guys, but it's no fun to do all the time. After I beat a big villain like one of Dr. Eggman's creations, I always like to chill out and look at the amazing world I saved."
Bandana Dee nodded. "Back in Pop Star, Kirby would always have a nice nap after he defeated some super tough bad guy, like Magolor, Marx, Queen Sectonia... the list goes on for a long time!"
"Wow, Kirby must work SUPER hard to beat up that many bad guys! He must have made a ton of friends from saving his home planet so many times!" Are you kidding me? That could only mean one thing. We cautiously turned to the source of the voice...
I frowned. "Kirby, go get the Missile Ability. Time to send somepony on a crash course to her home planet."
"Poyo..." Kirby was already getting the Ability. He came back holding a red and yellow cap, and he put it on the pink party pony's head.
"But I just wanted to see what Pop Star looked like!" Pinkie whined.
Pummel carried Pinkie to the exit. "I know, but your friends need you back in Equestria. Besides, you can always come over to Pop Star if you ask the Dream Rod for permission."
Kirby looked down, shaking his head in sorrow. "Poyo poyo..."
"I'm sorry, Kirby," I replied, sensing his sad aura. "I know you want them to see how amazing Pop Star is, but we both understand they need to be in Equestria to fulfill their roles in the show. If only there was a way to allow them to travel freely between the two planets..."
"Lucario, I believe there is," Roborygon said. "This is only a hypothesis, but I believe the Cutie Map is the key to travel between here and Pop Star. The map sends the ponies on friendship quests, so what if we infuse it with the power of the Friend Hearts?"
"That is a curious hypothesis. Kirby, it is time for you to use your friendship heart."
"Poyo!" Kirby concentrated his positive aura into a pink heart, which he aimed at the map. But the puffball seemed to have different plans. "...Oh!" He changed the trajectory of his heart, and threw it... at me.
As soon as the heart made contact with me, I felt my entire being cleansed of bad auras. "Kirby... I thank you for using your friendship heart to remove all negative auras from my body. Did you want me... to infuse the map with friendship?"
Kirby smiled. "Poyo!"
"Very well. Behold the power of friendship!" I prepared my friendship heart and hurled it at the map. The map became imbued with a pink glow. Suddenly, a white rod with a gold handle and a pink heart at its tip emerged from the map. "Excellent! Because the ponies have befriended Kirby with the power of the hearts, they should feel the energy from the Dream Rod if we need their help, or vice versa."
Pinkie thought about Pummel's remark as he held her in his right hand. "Oh, right! I forgot about that! In that case, see ya!" She freed herself from his grip and took on her missile form--which I almost mistook for a Pinkie Banzai Bill--before blasting off to Equestria.
"So... all's well that ends well," Pummel said. "But I can't help but think we've got something big in the future waiting for us."
I asked, "You mean next year, or this year?"
"I'm talking about this year. I mean, we've already encountered a lot of big things so far, but I just have a feeling that there's going to be a real doozy of an ordeal we'll have to face."
I grinned. "Even tougher than the ordeals Doctor Hooves and I encountered?"
"We won't know unless you tell us."
"So, you're ready for a story about our Galarian adventures?"
"Yes!" all my friends shouted.
"Okay. I'll tell you our story as soon as we set down in Pop Star."