“Poyo…” I woke up happy and refreshed. That bed I slept in was somehow even more comfortable than my own bed back at home. I took off my sleeping cap and stretched. “Ahh!” I walked out of the room and looked around, but I didn't know where in the castle I was. Should’ve paid attention to what path we took from the balcony…
“Morning, Kirby!” Twilight came and picked me up where I was standing in the hallway. “You’re finally awake! It sure seems like you require plenty of sleep… Anyway, the princesses want to talk to us in the throne room. I’ll just teleport us there, okay?”
“Poy--” I got interrupted mid-poyo by the teleportation flash.
“...yo.” Just like Twilight said, we were teleported back to the throne room. Everyone was there like before.
“Hi, Kirby and Twilight!” Pinkie Pie waved at us. “Luna’s super excited to tell us all she learned from your dream, Kirby!”
I wasn’t surprised to hear Princess Luna talking about the very first dark villain I ran into. “Yes, he too had to battle an incarnation of nightmares! Using an artifact that allows everyone in his homeland to dream, Kirby put an end to the Nightmare Wizard! Alas, it did not come without casualties; the resulting explosion destroyed a large portion of the moon, so ever since then, it is shaped like a crescent.”
“Whoa, hold up.” Rainbow Dash grabbed me off of Twilight’s back. “You’re telling us that this little pink dude managed to defeat a literal nightmare all on his own? And a bunch of the moon got blown up because of that? I don’t believe it! He probably just had a really creative imagination.”
“That may be the case, but I choose to believe him.” Luna’s horn glowed, and a weird distortion appeared. When it got clearer, I realized that it was from my dream. In fact, it showed me and Luna chasing the Nightmare Wizard to the moon. “One does not simply dream up such intricate details as the billowing winds that make up this warlock’s body…” Then it changed to me getting into the Invader Armor and converting it into my armor. “...or the metallic sheen on this mighty suit of mechanical armor! These vivid details can only mean that Kirby personally witnessed these things!”
“Mechanical armor?” Twilight gasped. “You mean, Kirby actually got to pilot a massive robotic exoskeleton?!”
“Indeed, to my jealousy. Upon learning that his homeland was being invaded by technologically-advanced aliens, he defeated the invaders and hijacked one of the machines known as Invader Armors in order to fight his way to the base.” With a smirk, Luna changed the vision to show me copying the Poison Ability. “Kirby explained to me that the newly-proclaimed Robobot Armor has different capabilities depending on the pilot. With his Copy Ability, the Robobot Armor made short work of everything in his path.” Then it changed to the Halberd. “It proved to be especially useful when the Armor scanned this mighty battleship and used it to destroy the menace behind the operation…” Finally, it changed to me battling Star Dream’s first form. “The Mother Computer, Star Dream!”
“Defeating a dark villain using an artifact of light, destroying a giant machine that’s bent on destruction by hijacking something it created…” Stars in his eyes, Spike hugged me. “Dude, that's awesome! You’re pretty much living the life of a superhero! If you had a costume, you'd totally fit in with the Power Ponies! Although, you'd be really overpowered compared to them. That copying power of yours makes you a jack-of-all-trades, so you can take on pretty much anything or anyone that stands in your way.” He shrugged. “You almost seem like a main character from one of Button Mash's games, considering that you've beaten up even more villains than the Power Ponies themselves have and used some super special items to do so.”
Roborygon raised his right arm. “I do not mean to be rude, but I believe we should start discussing more important matters. We need to be figuring out how we’re going to solve the problem with Queen Chrysalis and Hyness.”
"Hyness?" The princesses exchanged looks. “That name is not familiar to me. Have you ever heard of this Hyness that Roborygon speaks of?” Celestia asked Luna.
“Huh?” What did that Hyness guy have to do with all this? I walked over to hear what Gim had to say. “Poyo?”
Gim shrugged. “I dunno, man. I understand that Chrysalis is a threat, but I’ve no clue where that crazy robed guy comes into the equation. For all I know, he’s still putting the Jamba Heart back together as we speak! Heck, the heart may already be completely rebuilt and the Dark Lord has already been released and wreaking havoc!”
Roborygon’s eye lights narrowed. “Oh, yeah? How could he rebuild the Jamba Heart if he got teleported away along with you three?” His antenna created a hologram of… my blue ally, NESP! It began to talk: “I was bored and couldn’t understand a thing he said, so I tried out a new spell I learned to warp him somewhere that a group of heroes could beat him up with friendship.” Then the hologram dissipated.
Pinkie jumped into the conversation. “So what you’re telling us is that this floating kid used his magic to teleport a crazy leader of an evil cult to a friendship-based world so some heroes can teach him a lesson, but he made a mistake and accidentally warped not only the weirdo named Hyness but also Kirby, Gim, and Rocky here as well? Then you must’ve come here to see how Kirby and his friends are doing so you could reassure the psychic that they’re alright and maybe even help them get back to where their adventure was interrupted while we take care of this Hyness guy, only for us to learn that Queen Chrysalis is on the attack once more, which forced you to stick around to help us, right?”
One of Gim’s exhaust pipes let out smoke. “...Is there a glitch in my auditory sensors, or did Pinkie Pie really just summarize the entire situation in two long sentences with only a very small amount of context?”
“Get used to it, little guy.” Applejack tapped Gim’s elbow joint with her front left hoof. “She may be wacky and over-the-top at times, but when it comes to random assumptions that always hit the target, Pinkie’s the pony to turn to.”
“She certainly is.” Celestia asked me and my friends, “By any chance, is it possible for you to describe the appearance of this Lord Hyness that Roborygon speaks of?”
“...!” Closing his eyes tightly, Rocky jumped into the air and transformed. He turned into a statue of the robed figure that was in front of the big purple heart.
“Hey, that’s a new stone form!” Gim gave Rocky a thumbs-up. “I’d applaud you, but I only have one hand. Anyway, princesses, this is what Hyness looks like. The robe’s white with gold linings, and his eyes peeking out from under the robe are yellow. We haven’t seen any of his skills besides floating and acting strange and crazy, though.”
“How mysterious.” Luna looked at the eyes. “I don’t know for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we should be glad not to know what’s under that hood.”
Twilight wrote something down on a piece of paper while Rocky turned back into his usual form. “Okay, so from what information I’ve gathered, it appears that the threats that we need to watch out for are Queen Chrysalis, and a white-robed wizard who may possibly be mentally deranged and who intends to rebuild a heart of darkness in order to release some kind of Dark Lord, right?”
“Precisely. And I have reason to believe that the two villains might even team up.” Roborygon brought up an image of Chrysalis standing on a cliff looking over Canterlot, with a lot of other dark bug-like creatures standing behind her. “Queen Chrysalis wants to rule over the entirety of Equestria and win back her changeling army.” He brought up another image, this one depicting a silhouette of a colossal, human-like fiend. “And Hyness aspires to free the Dark God so that it can lay waste to the galaxy and bring about the end as we know it.” He put the two pictures together, and they shattered. “If they work together to help each other, they will be a force to be reckoned with, not just to us but to themselves.”
“To themselves, you say?” Applejack adjusted her hat with a grin. “Let me guess. Their obsessive desire to get only what they want is gonna get in the way of their teamwork, and they’ll stumble over themselves in pride or try to backstab each other?”
“That’s exactly where I was going with this. However, they won’t get to that point until they take care of the main threat to their plans: us.”
“And that’ll never happen! Wanna know why?” Rainbow Dash pounded her front hooves together. “Because we’re gonna find them and beat the stuffing out of them!”
She tried to speed out of the room, but Celestia used her magic to grab Rainbow by the tail. “Uh uh uh, Rainbow Dash. You’re not going to them.”
“Princess Celestia is correct, Rainbow,” Rarity said. “It is never a good idea to rush in and confront the enemy in their home turf unless you are fully prepared and understand the capabilities of said enemy. In the instance that the villains come to us in an attempt to ambush us, we’ll be the ones who have the upper hoof! There are two reasons for that. First, we’ll be battling them on our own turf. Second…” She dramatically flipped her hair. “...we will be ready to defeat them in style.”
“I commend your exceptional reasoning, Rarity,” Luna declared. “This leaves only one thing left to be answered: What shall the twelve of you do while waiting for either of the two villains to come out of hiding?”
“Well, if they’re going to bring the fight to us on our home turf…” Gim pumped his one fist. “...then it’s up to the Star Allies to get to know said turf!”
“Star Allies?” I could see the gears turning in Pinkie’s head. “Oh, is that the name that Kirby made up for your team?”
“Poyo!” I nodded while raising my hand. Gim also raised his hand, and Rocky simply looked upwards because he had no hands. “Team Star Allies!”
“So, you call yourselves the Star Allies?” Celestia smiled. “A most appropriate name for a group of intergalactic comrades who work together for the greater good. And Gim, that is a wise idea. By exploring Equestria, you’ll gain a basic understanding of the geography and how to adapt to your new surroundings. Ponies, please go with the Star Allies as they split up to learn more about our home land.”
“Oh! But first…” Gim brandished his Sizzle Yo-Yo as he looked at me. “Hey, Kirby! Do you still have that Splash Sword Ability, or did you lose it while falling?”
I recalled Rainbow Dash giving me back my hat. “Both.” I put on my hat, and my Splash Sword reappeared in my hand. I shot Rainbow a disapproving look. “Poyo.”
Rainbow nervously stepped backwards. “Uh, yeah, I’m gonna go with literally any of the Star Allies except Kirby. We… kinda had some problems getting along in the past.”
Roborygon proudly added, “By which she means that she saw Kirby pulling Twilight back to her castle and mistakenly thought he had knocked her out, so Rainbow took the Splash Sword hat that Daring Do found falling from the sky and confronted Kirby. If my Bright Fountain persona hadn’t come and explained why Rainbow shouldn’t cut Kirby down to size, the pink puffball would be no more.” The others gasped at this.
“Rainbow, how could you!” Fluttershy approached Rainbow with a concerned look on her face. “You should know better than to immediately assume the worst of someone, even if that someone is seen pulling a passed-out Twilight.” She patted me with her wing. “And going so far as to threaten to hurt someone as adorable as this little guy without even having solid proof?” She shook her head. “Next time you see someone doing something questionable, at least ask before going on the attack.”
Her secret out, Rainbow folded her ears back in shame. “I’m sorry… It’s just that when we first met Kirby, we hardly knew anything about him. And when Daring showed me the hat that let him use a sword, I got even more suspicious of him. I just lost it when I saw Kirby pulling Twilight along, because I instantly thought Kirby beat her up. As all of you know, I do not put up with anyone who hurts my friends. I understand now that Kirby was actually a hero who caused Twilight to pass out on accident, since she explained what happened.” She turned away from me, a tear rolling down her right cheek. “You must think I’m a terrible friend, Kirby… I completely understand if you don’t forgive me for what I did to you…”
Clearly, Rainbow Dash didn’t know much about me, because I was about to contradict her last two sentences. “Poyo…” I walked over to her and rested my hand on her withers, which caused her to look at me in surprise. “Good friend.”
“What? Why?” Rainbow pushed me away. “I literally tried to end your life, and you still think I’m a good friend? That makes no sense!”
Actually, it did. I moved around the hoof Rainbow used to push me away and gave her a big hug. “Pony friend. Fight me…” I pointed at Twilight. “Save her.” I released Rainbow from the hug and held my hand out. “I forgive.”
Wiping away her tears, Rainbow gave me a small smile. “You’re trying to tell me… that I’m still a good friend, because the reason I fought you was to save my own friend? Know what I think about that?” Before I got the chance to react, she pulled me in and gave me a noogie. “I think you’re an awesome friend too, squirt! You see the best in everyone, no matter what they’ve done to you! ‘Course, that doesn’t mean you don’t punish villains for what they’ve done.”
I winked. “Poyo!” My four friends and I gathered in a circle. Now that we knew what we were going to do, we just had to figure out another W question… “Where?”
Meloetta went first. “Melemele! Meloetta!”
“Somewhere to show off your singing and dancing skills?” Roborygon nodded. “Pretty much anywhere could work, but there’s this place called Las Pegasus that would encourage a good song-and-dance routine. As for me, I’d like to visit this incredible urban area known as Manehattan. Any idea where you want to go, Gim?”
“As much as I’d like to join you in Manehattan, I know the importance of splitting up.” Gim pointed his index finger down. “If it’s okay with the princesses, I’d rather stay here and get to know Canterlot.”
The princesses nodded. “Fine by us,” Celestia said.
“Thanks! I’m sure I’ll like being in Canterlot.” Gim watched Rocky’s perplexed look. “I know what you’re thinking, dude. You wonder if there’s some kind of rock-filled place here in Equestria. The only problem is… I got nothing. Anyone know a good place that’s loaded to the brim with rocks?”
“I do! I do!” Pinkie popped right in front of Rocky. “My home town is Rockville, and it’s a rock paradise!” She appeared to his side. “Rocks here…” Then on his other side. “Rocks there…” Then above him, somehow. “Rocks are everywhere in Rockville! My family even runs a rock farm!”
“...!” Eyes wide, Rocky jumped from his left foot to his right foot, then back to his left foot. No doubt he was happy, because my helpers and I usually do some kind of happy pose like that when we do something cool like discovering a Dream Palace.
Everyone looked at me. “What about you, little guy?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t mean to rush you, but have you thought about where you want to go?”
I nodded. Without anyone guarding it, Twilight’s crystal castle would be open to attack by Chrysalis. Something about it told me that it was very important, so a hero needed to go visit the town that’s home to the castle in order to make sure that Chrysalis doesn’t harm the town or the castle. I wanted to be that hero. “Ponyville!”
“Looks like everyone’s made their choice. In that case, I think I have an idea as for which of us will go with each of the Star Allies.” Being the organized type, Twilight assigned the ponies to me and my friends. “Rainbow Dash, fly with Meloetta to Las Pegasus. Rarity and Applejack, take Roborygon to Manehattan. Pinkie Pie, ride the train with Rocky to reach your hometown. Spike and I will show Gim around Canterlot. And Fluttershy, fly Kirby back to Ponyville.”
“Got it!” Everyone did as they were told, the ponies giving the members of the Star Allies rides to their next destination.
“Poyo!” I got on Fluttershy’s back.
“Oh, and Kirby?” I turned and looked at Celestia. “Try not to get yourself into trouble. And unless you’re doing it to help somepony, please refrain from catching someone in the vortex of your inhale. They’d probably be traumatized from almost being eaten. I’m sure Discord was.”
I giggled, “Poyo!” Then with a nod, I took off my hat and rode Fluttershy out of the castle to head back to the town I fell into.