Kirby Star Allies: Friend Hearts are Magic (REMASTERED)

by The Kelduo

Chapter 2: Body of Stone, Heart of Gold (Rocky)

“...?” I wasn’t sure what just happened. All I did know was that I fell. And I do love a good fall. Why is that? Because I am a Rocky. Sliding, falling, being calm and patient… That is what we Rockys are known for.

I opened my eyes. I was… underwater. From the looks of it, I must have landed in a river of some sort. Creatures from the Pop Star galaxy such as my kind aren’t normally good at being underwater, besides aquatic creatures like Blippers, Squishys, and Barbars. The reason why we don’t do well in water isn’t that we can’t swim. It’s just hard to see while underwater, so most land creatures on Pop Star could end up wandering around for a long time if they fall in a body of water.

But not me. When the pink hero Kirby befriended me, he bestowed upon me a scuba mask to wear. That way, I no longer had to worry about water getting in my eyes. He did the same thing for everyone else he befriended, even Gim. Why he would give a robot a scuba mask, I don’t really know. Could it be that the tinted lens of Gims are especially vulnerable to water?

“...!” My thoughts were interrupted by something reaching into the water. I thought about trying to get away, but I realized it was probably just a Grizzo looking for some Blippers to feast on. Knowing that, I closed my eyes again because I could probably use the rest. Taking a spear to the forehead can hurt, even if you’re made of stone.

But then, something grabbed me. And it was definitely not a Grizzo. They have short limbs, while this thing had a long, shaggy appendage. I kept my eyes closed, hoping to trick it into thinking that I was just a rock.

It didn’t work. I was still wearing my hat. I should have known that I had no chance at fooling any nearby creatures into thinking I was nothing more than a rock.

I opened my eyes in resignation. The first thing I saw was the creature that was holding me: a large, dark brown mammal that reminded me of a Grizzo without a headband. It was drenched in water. “...” I must have accidentally splashed it when I had fallen into the river.

Much to my surprise, the animal simply dismissed me with a chuckle and walked away. Was it normal for a living rock to randomly fall into a river in this place? Did it think I was just playing a practical joke on it? Oh, right, Rockys are known for falling.

I felt footsteps coming this way. “...!” My instincts took over, and I changed into one of my stone forms. If I wasn’t rushed, I would have taken on a natural formation such as a Star Block or a Metal Block to avoid bringing attention to myself. Unfortunately, I made a terrible mistake. When I used Stone Change, I took on the form of a statue of Kirby, and it was too late to go back and change it. Not wanting to attract more attention than I already had, I stood still and waited to see what happened next.

This next creature that approached was more intriguing than the first one. It was a yellow quadruped with a pink mane and tail, and it also had wings. “Sorry I took so long. Our picnic got disrupted by--huh? What’s that?” As expected, she immediately took note of my presence. Or, rather, the presence of my Kirby statue form. “I don’t remember this being here before I left. Is it another of Discord’s antics?”

An invisible door opened, revealing an amalgamation of various creatures. It took a look at me. “Uh, no, it wasn’t me this time, Fluttershy. Although I must say, it has the air of a legendary hero who has taken down a bunch of dark villains.” Then it closed the door.

“...?” ...Who the heck was that? I daresay it looked crazier than Hyness acted.

“That’s strange. Discord didn’t do it, and I’m pretty sure Harry or Angel Bunny couldn’t have made this. Maybe Rarity could have, but I don’t think she’d be able to sculpt this in such a short time.” The pink-maned creature, apparently named Fluttershy, put a hoof to her chin. “But now that I’m looking at it, this kind of looks like that round pink thing that fell from the sky…" She gasped. "Oh! Maybe that pink thing knows something about this. I should probably get to Twilight’s castle to ask it.” She used her wings to fly away.

“...!” A round pink thing? She must have been talking about Kirby! And if what she said was right, Kirby was at the castle of someone named Twilight. Following a bridge to a path, I hurried to figure out where this castle was while trying not to attract attention. Hopefully it was one of those castles that are easy to find, like a villain’s lair in most forms of visual media...