An unexpected attack from Star Dream has taken Kirby away from his planet and placed him into the land of Equestria. With the help of new friends, Kirby must try to make it back to his world.
All Kirby wanted was to save his planet from being ruined by the hands of The Haltmann Works Company. He never dreamed that battling Star Dream would end with him being in a land of colorful equine creatures. His end goal is to return home, and the ponies are determined to help the pink puff get home. The question is, are they prepared for the trials that await them and will they be able to get Kirby home in the first place?
In the far reaches of space rests a star shaped planet that goes by the name of Popstar. It's a wonderful place to live. Clean water, fresh air, lovely plants, and (mostly) wonderful citizens. Anyone living there would tell you that its like living in a dream. Truly a place to behold. The only downside of living on the planet, is the fact that it attracts the attention of evil monstrosities and megalomaniacs quite often. Planet Popstar has been threatened by many armies of evil, bent on conquering the entirety of the planet, and today was the day that yet another evil force decided to make its move against the planet and its inhabitants.
Too bad they never heard of Kirby.
Kirby wasn't happy. He had planned to enjoy his day by resting peacefully under a tree. He never made any plans to fight a planet sized computer that could bend reality. Yet here he was, flying through space trying to gun down a planet sized computer that had the face of a cat with a mix between the Halberd and mechanical armor that bore a striking resemblance to him. It was a hard battle and both the Halberd and the enemy had taken heavy damage. But he was willing to fight to put an end to the metallic behemoth and save his home once more.
"Poyo!" he yelled as he charged the ship straight towards the enormous machine.
Said machine, named Star Dream, was currently running many calculations through its mechanical mind.
"CALCULATING POSSIBILITY OF SURVIVAL" it whirred to itself. "IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD."
It seemed that, despite all the power that it had at its disposal, it was unable to match the power of the being that was currently trying to smash him, IT, to pieces. It was losing power rapidly and many internal functions within were starting to self destruct and malfunction. Not to mention the calculated odds of survival were abysmally low. Somewhere deep within the core of Star Dream there was a cry to just give up. A plea to give in, be destroyed, and prevent a horrible disaster the like that has never been witnessed before from occurring. To go back to its original--!!zz!!...
Star Dream had a purpose, to bring eternal prosperity to it's creator and the empire that said creator had built. And it was going to fulfill that purpose and destroy any and all resistance.
The cry within Star Dream was smothered almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Kirby was closing in. As he piloted the ship closer to Star Dream, a masked figure jumped up onto the front of the ship. It drew a sword and, inserting it into a slot, ejected Kirby and his armor straight towards Star Dream. Kirby was prepared to end the fight once and for all, transforming one of the arms of his mech into an over-sized drill as he rocketed towards his foe.
Star Dream made its move at that moment.
It opened it eyes and its cat like mouth wide... and began to inhale. Kirby was caught off guard. He wasn't expecting this! He found himself caught in the gust, no longer in a position ready to strike, but rather tumbling towards the awaiting maw of the crazy computer he was so close to destroying. He tried to resist its pull as best as he could, putting the thrusters of the Robobot Armor into high gear. But he was no longer aboard the Halberd, and the armor had little power in comparison. It soon gave out and Kirby was sucked into the void that was Star Dream's "mouth."
Star Dream hummed quietly to itself. Despite the low chance of survival, it had managed to capture and contain the creature that had nearly destroyed it. All that was left was to dispose of it. Star Dream started to gather the remaining energy that it had left.
"3"
The cry within Star Dreams core returned, trying to implant the idea of releasing the captive and giving up. The computer ignored it. Victory was assured.
"2"
The cry within grew stronger, saying that the objective that was being followed was wrong and no one needed to be hurt. Star Dream was starting to question its motives. What was it trying to--!!! A few chunks of unneeded files were going to need deletion later on.
"1"
The cries within Star Dream were desperate, almost overwhelming at this point, demanding that the pink one receive no harm. These unneeded file would need to be queued for immediate deletion as soon as the target was taken care of.
"GO"
"NO!"
Star Dream unleashed the gathered energy.... and teleported away in a blinding flash of multicolored lights. Things seemed to be a blur. Colors were everywhere and the surrounding area appeared to warp and twist. Then in the next instant, the ride was over. The massive computer began to scan its new surroundings.
"UN--KNOWN LOCAT--ION---!!" "CURRENT ST--AR SYSTEMS D---O NOT MATCH PREVIO--US KNOWN POINT"
Star Dream was on its last legs at this point. It was on the verge of shutting down and it could barely keeps its systems functioning. Shutting down was a very real threat.
"SEND--ING SCOUTS TO SUR---VEY TH-E AREEEEEAaaa"
Star Dream opened its mouth and a multitude of things flew out of its gaping maw. Grey Mechs, small containment tubes containing orbs of purple or golden goo, robotic drones, and a very injured ( and asleep ) Kirby. As the planet sized machine began running diagnostics and troubleshooting problems to try and delay its shut down, Kirby drifted further into the reaches of space, straight towards a planet in the distance.
Twilight Sparkle was excited. She had been waiting for weeks on end for a package to arrive at her doorstep and today was the day that it was supposed to arrive. As she looked up to the sky from the balcony of the library, she saw the mail mare descending towards her home with a rather large package held in her hooves." She squealed and rushed down the stairs, giddy with excitement. Almost before hoof met door, Twilight had thrown the door open with her magic, nearly throwing it off the hinges.
"Good morning Ditzy Doo!" she squeed.
"Good morning Twilight!" the grey mare greeted back. " I've brought a package with your name on it. Don't worry, I took extra care not to do anything that could potentially damage or destroy the object inside." Twilight looked at Ditzy with skeptical look. She meant well and was a sweet pony, but due to her.... condition everypony had to make sure that whatever they ordered was in mint condition. However she quickly forgot all about it as she was too excited to care.
"Oh thank you SO much!" she squealed and she threw herself into Ditzy and gave her a bear hug.
"You're--- welcome--!" wheezed the grey mail mare.
After she was released from Twilight's death grip, Ditzy released the package and gave it to Twilight. She then flew away to make other deliveries to other ponies. Twilight on the other hand, was currently ripping open the box that concealed the object of her desires. At last she had reached it. Within the box lay metallic tubing ready to be assembled into something much more grand. A telescope. She had been meaning to get a more powerful one so she could gaze into the sky and see what was in the furthest corners of the sky, and at last she had it within her grasp. And she didn't even need to pay for it as it was gifted to her by a royal friend. All she needed to do was assemble it. '
"It shouldn't be too hard." she thought to herself. "Right?"
Wrong
Turns out there was a distinct lack of instructions on how to assemble the telescope within the box. This upset the lavender unicorn immensely, but she didn't let it hold her down. She decided that a little help may be in order.
"SPIKE" she called out. "I need you to bring out my old telescope and move it downstairs!" There was the sound of mumbling and movement upstairs. After about a minute, a small purple and green dragon came down the steps, toting an old telescope on his back.
"Do we really need a new telescope?" the small drake asked. "The one we have still works pretty well, and is actually in one piece rather than all over the floor." Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Yes Spike. The old telescope is on the verge of collapse and the lens is cracked, plus this new one can see farther out into the sky!" She grinned again with her face full of wonder. "Imagine!" she mused, "We could see beyond what we already know of and see the wonders that lay a further beyond!" She began bouncing. "We could make amazing discoveries! See things that no other pony has ever seen before!" She leapt into the air. "We could be go down in the science history books!" She fell back down to earth grinning wildly. Spike looked less enthused about the situation but figured it would be useless to try and worm his way out of helping construct the telescope and gave in.
By the time they finished building the telescope, night had fallen over Ponyville. Despite all odds, it had taken them all day to construct a telescope. Spike, exhausted, went to bed immediately once Twilight was convinced that the newly constructed telescope wouldn't fall apart for the umpteenth time. He curled up in his basket and promptly fell asleep. Twilight had other plans for the night. She immediately went up to the balcony of the library and placed the telescope in what she considered to be the perfect position.
"This is it!" she thought to herself. She could hardly contain her excitement. She quickly set the angle of her telescope. It wobbled a bit, but held together. All that time and preparation was about pay off! All of the tantalizing knowledge of what was beyond the stars was about to become hers. She licked her lips as she imagined what she might find and what she would write down on her research papers.
At last she couldn't wait any longer. She peered down into the lens and looked into the night sky. She gasped at what lay before her eyes. It was wonderful! So many different stars never before seen by ponyind. It was mesmerizing! She was lost within the sparkles of each and every star, each glittering like silver and gold under the brightest of lights.
After what seemed like eternity she decided to call it night. She did have things to do tomorrow, and it would be disastrous if she ended up ruining her schedule.
"I'd better turn in for the night." she yawned. But before she took her eye from the lens she noticed something. Something appeared to be shining brightly. Very brightly. In fact she was sure nothing this bright was there while she was surveying the sky. " Perhaps its natural phenomenon?" she questioned to herself. Her eyes went wide at the thought and she glued herself back to the telescope lens. Whatever this was she could not miss it. This could possibly be something that no other pony had ever seen and she would be the one to document it in full detail!
The shining within the sky continued to grow brighter. She had to squint her due to the light. Right before she had to force her eyes shut, the glowing ceased. Twilight blinked a few times and looked where the shining spot used to be. In its place was a planet.
A silver planet, with the face of a cat.
"I must be more tired than I thought." Twilight thought to herself. " I'm starting to imagine things." And with that she left her telescope and went to bed.
Had she waited a little longer, Twilight would have seen the planet open its "mouth" and expel a multitude of objects from it. Had she peered into the scope a bit longer after that, she would have seen a certain pink creature hurtle towards the planet at high speed.
Twilight woke up with a groan. She was starting to regret losing track of time while star gazing last night, and she knew that the day would only get worse before it got better. As she got out of her bed she couldn't help thinking back on the previous night. She chuckled quietly.
"The stars beyond truly were a sight to behold." she thought. She replayed the memories of her discoveries through her mind as she trotted to the bathroom, ready to prepare herself for the day ahead of her.
Meanwhile, a certain drake was beginning to stir. Spike's awakening went much like Twilight's, waking with a groan and attempting to leave the comfort of his bed, or in this case basket. This wasn't how his mornings would usually go as he usually slept far longer than he usually intended to. On the plus side, at least he wouldn't have to worry about Twilight lecturing him about oversleeping once again. Spike slowly emerged from his basket and started towards the staircase.
"A glass of water should help get the bod started." He mumbled.
He started to descend down the stairs.... and tripped. He tumbled the rest of the way down, each impact with the staircase sounding off with a loud thump. Twilight, who was currently brushing her teeth, failed to hear the impacts created by the young drake over the running water from the sink and the tune she was humming to herself.
"Owwww." he moaned.
Spike was certain that he didn't need a glass of water at this point. Having thick scales didn't prevent the pain he was feeling from his tumble. It wasn't enough to render him immobile, in fact all he really ended up with were a few faint scratches against his scales. However this idle thought did little to improve his now soured mood and he had to admit he still felt rather sore. With his body currently in a dull pain, Spike's mind was now awake. He pulled himself off of the floor and slowly walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Twilight had finished making herself presentable by the time Spike had finished cooking, and she saw him putting freshly made pancakes and hay-bacon upon the dining table as she walked out of the bathroom. She was surprised to see the young drake up this early at all, but decided that questioning about the current situation would be highly illogical and make her seem ungrateful.
"Thank you Spike" she said as she sat down.
"No problem Twilight!" Spike replied. He was no longer feeling any pain from his fall and was now in a better mood than before. He sat down at the table and picked up a piece of hay bacon, ready to enjoy his breakfast. The strip of hay was an inch from his face when there was knocking at the door.
"Spike could you get the door?' asked Twilight, right before biting into another pancake.
"Alright." He sighed. He left his hay-bacon at the table and jogged towards the door, hoping to handle whatever business the pony outside had and get back to his breakfast before it got cold.
"Hello. Is there something that I can--!!" Spike started to say. However he soon found himself frozen, suddenly unable to make a coherent sentence. A lovely white unicorn had filled his vision and the sight of her made Spike's heart flutter with excitement.
"Oh! Why hello Spike." Greeted Rarity. "I was expecting Twilight to answer the door."
"S-shes in inside eating breakfast!" Spike finally stuttered, though a bit too quickly for his liking. "D-did you need her for something? I-i'll go get her for you! "He turned to leave, but quickly added "You can come in and sit down if you'd like! After all, it would be rude to let a lady stand outside." Rarity nodded and walked into the library, taking a seat by one of the many bookcases. Spike wasted no time rushing to the dining area. He would do whatever Rarity asked of him in a timely manner. He wouldn't dream of letting her down.
"Twilight!" he shouted. "Rarity was at the door. She said that she wanted you for something." Twilight nodded in acknowledgement and left the table to meet her friend.
As Twilight began conversing with her friend, Spike had thrown himself into a frantic frenzy trying to freshen up, breakfast completely forgotten. Were his scales polished? Were his spines straight? Did he have morning breath!? All these thoughts and more ran through his mind, seemingly having no end. Rarity only deserved the best of the best and he wasn't going to take any chances with his appearance. He NEEDED to look his absolute best whenever Rarity was around, no exceptions.
At last, when had decided that he looked presentable to the mare of his dreams, he started to head back downstairs. As he descended he heard the remnants of the conversation the two mares downstairs were having, ending with Twilight agreeing to something. As he came into view, Twilight turned in his direction and smiled.
"Spike. Rarity has asked me if you were available. She needs to replenish her gem supply and wanted to know if you'd like to come along and help her find the gems that she needs." Twilight inwardly chuckled. She already knew the baby drake's answer would be yes.
Spike almost shouted his reply.
"O-of course! Anything for you Rarity!"
"Excellent!" Rarity clapped her hooves together happily. "We'll need to leave immediately if we're going to find enough gems to make these new dress ideas of mine, shine!" She trotted towards the door and Spike followed along, practically floating the entire way.
"Be good Spike!" Twilight called out as the two left the library. After she shut the door she turned toward her study desk and decided to start recording her findings from the night before onto paper, getting lost in her happiness of getting to do one of her favorite things.
Spike was having the time of his life. He was spending time with his dream mare, helping her dig for the gems that she needed for her dresses. Sure it was dirty work, but he didn't care one bit. If what he was doing made Rarity happy, he'd gladly do it.
"Over here Spike!" Rarity called out. She had found another cluster of gems laying beneath the dirt. Spike wasted no time getting into position and began digging furiously into the ground. He eventually reached the glittering cluster, and grabbed as many gems as he could before jumping out of the hole he had made.
"Here you go Rarity!" he said, placing the gems into a rather full wagon. The two had spent a large portion of the day hunting for gems, and had amassed quite a collection. The wagon was almost too heavy for spike to move, but he struggled on, if only to please his crush.
"Good job Spike" Rarity said. She walked over to him and surveyed the small wagon. After a small nod of satisfaction she turned towards the small drake. "I do believe that we've collected enough gems to last for some time." She said. "You've been a great help Spike and I believe you deserve a reward." Rarity levitated an emerald out of the gem pile they had made and gave it to Spike.
Spike nearly fainted from the gesture, but manage to keep himself together. Thanking the mare, he took the glittering gem and put it away. He vowed to keep his gift safe this time, remembering how he once had to sacrifice a jewel to save Rarity from a pack of diamond dogs.
"Ill keep it safe as long as I live." He thought to himself.
The two friends soon started the trek back towards Ponyville, talking about current events and other topics on the way. Rarity did most of the talking but Spike didn't mind. He was more than content to listen the the voice of his crush, even if not everything she said made sense to him. A few minutes into the journey home, Spike decided to stretch his limbs. Digging constantly would do that. He stopped on the spot and stood on the tips of his claws, stretching his body upwards. He closed his eyes as he did so, feeling the relief that stretching gave him. Before stopped, he opened his eyes, taking in the vastness of the sky. However he realized that something was off about it.
Something was falling.
Something was falling, fast.
Something was falling fast, was heading straight towards them!
"Rarity get down!" He shouted, lunging at the white unicorn. He tackled Rarity and they both tumbled to the ground.
"SPIKE!" Rarity yelped. What in Equestria are you-!
She didn't get to finish her sentence, for seconds after they she was tackled something flew over them at high speed landing a ways behind them with a deafening BOOM. Both Spike and Rarity were shocked. They looked at each other for a while, unsure what to think. The shocked silence didn't last long though, as they soon went full speed to the impact site. When they arrived, they found a rather large crater with a small pink creature laying at the bottom.
"S-Spike?" Rarity stuttered."You wouldn't happen to know what manner of creature that is, would you?"
Spike was at a loss. He didn't know WHAT he was looking at.Never in his entire life had he seen something like this, book or otherwise. The creature was a vibrant pink with two red protrusions at one end and two pink nubs positioned further up at opposing sides of each other.
"N-no Rarity." he said at last. "I couldn't tell you what that is for the life of me..."
Without warning , Spike jumped into the crater, slowly letting himself slide to the center. Rarity was quick to scold him about his sudden actions.
"Spike!" she hissed. "What are you doing!? You don't know what that thing is! What if you get hurt!? Twilight would never forgive me if something were to happen to you!
Spike thought about her words, but it was pretty late to back out now. He had finally made it to the center of the crater and the pink being before him was in clear view. He walked towards it slowly. He found that it was a little bit bigger than he thought it would be, but it was still a bit smaller than he was. He looked over its body. Upon closer inspection he found two red oval marks upon its body. Above the marks were two thin black lines. Below them was a small black dot. Overall, he decided that whatever it was, it seemed pretty harmless. He looked down at the being before him again.... and slowly picked it up.
"SPIKE!" Rarity shouted. "Don't pick it up! It may be dangerous! Spike turned to face her for a few seconds, then turned back towards the creature within his claws. Rarity sighed in exasperation and jumped into the crater. She carefully slid down to the center and and took a look at the creature within Spike's grasp before using her magic to levitate it.
"Spike." Rarity said, firmly. "What you just did was very reckless!" What if something had happened to you? For all we know that creature could have been venomous!" Spike looked down sadly. He hadn't meant to cause Rarity any distress. Something about this whole event had just... called to him. Made him feel like investigating and figuring out the mystery of the creature that fell from the sky.
"I-i'm sorry Rarity." said sadly. "I didn't mean to upset you! I-I was just.... curious." His felt bad for causing is crush to feel worried. A part of him rejoiced in the fact that she cared for him that much, but overall he still felt like he had done a great evil.
Rarity sighed.
"It's okay Spike" She said in a friendly tone. "I forgive you. Next time just think before you act, okay?" Spike looked up to her and nodded. A sad smile adorned his face. He still felt bad about upsetting his dream mare, but he felt a bit better knowing that she wasn't angry about it.
They soon climbed out of the crater, Rarity towing the pink being out with her magic.
"So what do we do about that?" Spike asked. Rarity thought about it for a bit before deciding on an idea.
"Perhaps Fluttershy will have some idea of what this is." She said. "Besides it would probably be best to take it there anyways. I'm sure a fall like that isn't healthy for anypony, and the poor thing is all scratched and bruised up."
Spike agreed. Rainbow dash had suffered falls similar to what they had just witnessed and she had to stay in the hospital for months. This thing had hit the ground and left a crater that would impress even her and it wasn't even that big OR heavy! He wondered if it was even ALIVE after a fall like that.
The two soon gathered everything they had and ran full speed toward Fluttershy's home. As they left they area, Twilight teleported in, looking around frantically for any sign of the duo.
"Spike!? Rarity!? Where are you!? Are you two okay!?" She called out. Twilight was worried. She was just finishing her notes about one of the many stars she had see when she heard a loud explosion. She had looked out her window to see a large plume of dirt starting to fall down right in the rock field where Rarity and spike were digging for gems. She had dropped everything, running and teleporting like mad to see if they were alright.
"Rarity!? Spike!? Can you hear me!?" she called out again. She turned towards the impact sight and ran towards it, peering into the crater. Finding nothing of use she searched the area some more, shouting and yelling, until she discovered a line of hoof prints and claw prints with wheel trails behind them. After a bit of investigation, she concluded that the two were okay. The prints left by the two suggested that they had left the area, returned to investigate whatever had made the crater, and then left again at an increased speed. She sighed in a bit of relief and started to leave the area, when she heard something smash against the ground.
Twilight shot her gaze towards the source of the sound. What she saw perplexed her. What lay in front of her eyes was a puddle of blue/purple goop surrounded by shards of broken glass. The goo was somewhat bubbly and the colors that composed it swirled around each other, mixing in some places but but staying separate in others. She didn't know what to think of the oddity that lay before her. Another thing that confused her was where it had originated from. There wasn't a place to hide around the area and there weren't any pegisi in the air either. Twilight stared at the goopy mess for a solid minute before deciding to take action. Concentrating her magic she levitated the goo into the air before putting a containment bubble spell around it. She looked at it a little while longer before heading back towards the library with the contained goo in tow.
"Perhaps this substance had something to do with the explosion." She thought to herself, as she made her way back home.
Pain. That was all Kirby's body could feel at the moment. He tried to move, but found that doing so incurred the wrath of pretty much every pain receptor in his small pink body. Even opening his eyes felt like a monumental task. He tried to remember something, anything, that could help him understand how he ended up in this state. And soon it came flooding back to him.
He had been fighting Star Dream and was about to land the final blow, when the giant machine had surprised him by inhaling him. He ended up in the void waiting for something to happen. Just when he was thinking that nothing would happen the void was lit up via explosions. They had been everywhere, blasting him from all sides with high intensity. He couldn't remember anything after that. He sighed, wondering why almost every powerful monster he fought seemed to have some variant of that explosive attack.
After a what felt like eternity, he became aware of something. He could hear voices. But... he couldn't recognize them. He tried opening his eyes again and actually managed to hold them open. This wasn't the halberd. This wasn't even The Halberd fused with the Robobot Armor! Where exactly was he? He managed to sit up and started to take in his surroundings. He was in a cozy looking room laying on a bed. He could hear still hear the voices but could see that they weren't in the room he was currently in. Seeing how he had finally managed to get his body to cooperate despite the pain, he decided to investigate a little further, slowly making his way to the door.
"So you don't know what it is either?"
"I'm afraid not. It looks so cute. Its a shame that it ended up hurting itself in such a way."
"Darn."
Spike and Rarity had made it to Fluttershy's cottage. Upon learning that they had brought an injured creature, Fluttershy practically threw herself into a frenzy, bringing out many herbs and plenty of first aid equipment, ready to nurse whatever animal that was brought to her back to health. It wasn't until she actually laid eyes on the creature that she learned she didn't know how to treat it.
"I'm sorry you two. she apologized. "I want to help, but I just don't know anything about it. I could end up doing more harm than good and if that happened I just don't know what I would do!"
"It's okay darling" Rarity started. "You did your best. All we can do now is hope that it makes a recovery."
"Thanks Rarity" Fluttershy replied softly. "I needed to hear that."
"Think nothing of darling."
"So what did you do with it?" Spike interjected. He had been curious about the being ever since it had fallen out of the sky and he wanted to do whatever he could to help.
"Oh, I only put some bandages around some of its wounds. After that I placed it into a bed. Nothing too major."
"Hmm......"
"Is something the matter Spike?" Rarity asked. "You seem dreadfully tense and rather antsy."
Spike sighed. " I guess I'm just worried about it." He explained. "Rainbow Dash has been hospitalized for impacts like that. Whatever this thing is took a similar fall and its not big or heavy, yet it left a crater in the ground similar to when Rainbow failed a stunt badly. What if its crippled or something?"
The mares looked at one another and then back to Spike. He seemed pretty attached to the creature, and yet it hadn't even done anything. Rarity sigh and looked put a hoof on Spike.
"I'm sure it will be fine Spike." She said in a soothing tone. "We've done our part and now all we can do is hope for the best. I'm worried for its health as well, but we can only wait and see what happens from here on."
Spike sighed again. He knew Rarity was telling the truth and that he really could only wait. Still, seeing how hurt it was made him feel bad. He couldn't explain it but he just felt for the poor thing. It was as if he was watching a friend get put in the hospital rather than some random animal.
"I suppose you're right." He said at last. He then looked up and put a smile on his face. " I supposed we'd better take these gems back to the Carousel Boutique if you want to get those dresses done."
Rarity smiled, glad to have lifted her friend's spirit at least somewhat.
"Of course my dear Spikey-wikey" She cooed. Spike soon went outside to prepare the wagon for movement. She turned to Fluttershy. "Well Fluttershy I do believe we'll take our leave. Perhaps we could take a trip to the spa sometime in the near future?
"Oh that would be nice! Perhaps next Monday?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Rarity agreed. "Well I must be off now. Please take--!"
Rarity's words caught in her throat. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Rarity? Are you alright?" Questioned Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus didn't get a response from her friend. She slowly walked over to Rarity and gently poked her with a hoof. That didn't get a response either. Rarity continued to stare at something in front of her. Fluttershy turned around to see what had caught the attention of her friend, and pretty much fell into the same state as Rarity.
There, holding onto the door knob for dear life, was the creature that had been placed into bed.
It turned and saw them staring at it. It blinked a few times before dropping from the door knob and hitting the floor with a squeak, wincing when it made contact.
Fluttershy was over it in seconds.
"Oh my goodness are you okay!? Do you feel sore anywhere!? You really shouldn't be up and about like this, you're terribly injured!
Kirby didn't know what to think. He had made it to the door and had tried to push it open. It didn't budge. He tried putting a bit more force behind his push. The door refused to move. After a few seconds of getting nowhere he finally looked up to see a door knob. After floating upward top reach it, he finally managed to make get the door open, only to be greeted by strange creatures beyond the door. They looked like the creatures in a book that Tiff had shown him once, only much more colorful. In his own surprise he let go of the door knob and as soon as he hit the ground, one of the creatures was all over him, bombarding him with questions! It was surprising to say the least.
"POYO!" he cried in protest.
The act of using his voice had frozen it in its tracks. At least for a moment. It backed away slowly with an apologetic look on its face. "Oh! Sorry..." It said. The response was so quiet that Kirby had almost missed what it had said. Though he had heard the apology and gave a happy coo in response.
This seemingly brought the white being out of its state of shock. It looked towards the yellow one and excused itself from the group, running outside rather quickly.
"Poyo?"
"Oh! Don't worry about Rarity. She's just a bit surprised to see you up on your....feet?.... so soon after what happened to you. I'm a bit surprised myself honestly."
"Poyo?"
"Oh! I didn't introduce myself. My name is Fluttershy."
The yellow being, now known as Fluttershy, seemed pretty friendly! Kirby felt at ease. Despite the slightly bumpy start, he had seemingly already made a new friend.
Poyo!
A few moments later the white being who Flutteshy had called Rarity came back inside the room, a second after that a purple and green creature came tumbling inside, looking around frantically for something. When its eyes fell upon Kirby they grew wide, shock spread across its face, before changing into happiness.
"It's okay!" It exclaimed and started to do a little happy dance. It kinda reminded Kirby of Tuff in a way.
"Poyo!" The happiness was contagious. Kirby soon found himself doing a small dance around the room with the purple creature.
Rarity and Fluttershy couldn't prevent their hearts from melting at the sight. It was absolutely adorable in every way imaginable. Soon they stopped dancing and the four beings found themselves on opposing sides of the room.
"Well then!" I'm glad to see that you managed to recover! Rarity had initiated conversation. " I wasn't expect you to bounce back so soon though. That was quite a nasty fall you had."
"Poyo!"
"Anyways" she continued. "My name is Rarity. Its a pleasure to meet you."
Poy!
The purple being spoke next.
Hey there! I'm Spike. I'm so glad to see that you're okay!
Poyo, Poyo!
Kirby was elated! He had made three new friends in one day! Without hesitation he said the next thing that came to his mind!
"Hiiiiiii! Name Kirby!"
Smiling faces had turned to shock and surprise once more.. Kirby looked at his new friends and tiled his head in confusion. Did he do something wrong?
Kirby was confused. One moment he was surrounded by smiling faces of three new friends, the next ,two of his new friends looked shocked and one had fainted. Did he offend them? All he did was introduce himself!
"Poyo?"
Using his voice again seemed to break the trance that Rarity had fallen into. She blinked a few times and turned towards Spike who was still starting blankly at Kirby. Rarity then turned back to Kirby, wondering if she had heard right.
"Erm... Darling could you.... repeat what you just said?" Rarity asked. She must have been hearing things.
"Hi... name Kirby?" Kirby repeated.
Nope hearing was perfectly functional. With that ,Rarity slumped down. She had brought a sentient being to her friend's house under the impression that said being was an animal. A beast of some sort.
"Well then..." she began, straightening her posture, "I would like to apologize for bringing you here. Spike and I would've brought you to a hospital had we known that you.... weren't an animal of some sort." Rarity winced at the ending of her apology.
"Poyo!"
Rarity blinked. Was Kirby upset at her? She took a look at him, and saw that Kirby was smiling. He didn't look upset at the fact that everypony had thought Kirby an animal before this revalation.
"Y-you're not mad at us?" She asked, shocked that the puff held no ill feelings towards them, despite the implications.
Kirby shook his head. He had seen his fair share of strange and unfamiliar creatures in his adventures. He now understood why his new friends had seemed so terrified a moment ago.
Rarity sighed in relief. She was glad that Kirby wasn't upset with her. "Well then dear Kirby, it's a pleasure to meet you." She said, holding out her hoof for a hoofshake. Kirby held out one of his stubby arms and held it against her hoof. Rarity was rather surprised at how soft Kirby actually was. After finishing the apparently universal gesture of friendship, Rarity turned to look out the window, finding that it was rather late. She turned to Spike.
"Spike? Spike are you alright darling?"
Hearing Rarity's voice broke Spike out of his trance. He looked towards her, still looking surprised but finally able to form a sentence.
"Y-yes Rarity?"
"I think its time we started back home." Rarity started towards Fluttershy, picking her up her unconscious friend when she was close enough. "You should take the gems towards the Boutique. Poor Fluttershy seems to have had her share of excitement for today. I shall catch up to you in a little while."
Spike sighed. He had been hoping to spend the entirety of his afternoon with Rarity, ending with him walking her back home. Though he couldn't say that the entirety of the trip was ruined, he still wanted to walk her home. Of course, he wouldn't vocalize his complaints.
"Alright then, whatever you say Rarity."
Plans dashed, he walked slowly outside to the waiting wagon of gems, leaving the door slightly open.
Kirby and Rarity watched as the baby dragon limped sadly to the outside world. Rarity sighed while Kirby only tilted his head in confusion.
At last, Rarity turned to face Kirby.
"Well then. Kirby, what shall you do?" She asked. "I'm not entirely sure you'd want to spend the night here with Fluttershy, she does have a lot of animals that reside here."
Kirby shrugged. He wasn't sure what his next move was going to be. He didn't know where he was and didn't have a clear place stay. He looked towards the door that Spike had went through. He weighed his options for a bit before making up his mind. Slowly, Kirby made his way towards the exit of the cottage. As he reached the door, he turned towards Rarity.
"Out." He said, softly. He pointed towards the door in an attempt to make his intentions clear.
Rarity looked confused at first but soon understood the message that was being conveyed. "Very well then. I won't stop you from taking your leave." said Rarity. "Though I do ask that you be careful out there. You still seem to have injuries and we wouldn't want anything to happen to you that could make them worse." Kirby nodded.
"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, showing a bright smiling face. He was given an unsure yet trusting smile from the white unicorn, who waved her foreleg at him. He returned the gesture, before turning back towards the door and charging through it.
Rarity was rather surprised to see Kirby move so easily and quickly despite his injuries, but decided that he friend's well being took priority. She secured Fluttershy and began looking for a comfortable place to let her friend rest. But as she started her search for a suitable space to place her friend, she was was unaware of a figure slinking outside, peering into the building through the back window.
As he stepped into the outside world, Kirby realized just how lost he was. He couldn't see any familiar landmarks and most of the things he could see were foreign in nature to him. It certainly didn't help that the sun was pretty low down in the sky, leaving the world a darker place overall. As he continued to scan his surroundings, he spotted a small village in the distance. Destination in his sights, he dashed down the dirt path away from the cottage and towards his goal. He didn't know how long it would take to get there, but he was determined to make it.
About a minute into his run, Kirby started to notice that something was twinkling a bit further down the path he was on. He began to run faster, curiosity driving him towards the glimmering light. As he drew closer, the twinkling light grew slightly. At last Kirby could see what was producing the shine. A blue gem lay on the ground, shining brilliantly in the setting sun. Kirby slowed to a stop, admiring the gem that lay before him. The blue sapphire that lay on the ground before him put most of Escargoon's treasure collection to shame! Slowly he picked up the shining jewel, looking at it with eyes full of wonder.... before placing it into his mouth and swallowing it.
"Poyo..." he moaned. His face contorted to one of disgust. It tasted gross, but Kirby knew that it would probably be best to save the gem. He was fairly sure that it held some sort of value. After all it was shiny! Shiny things were usually expensive, right?
Deciding to question the value of shiny objects later, Kirby resumed running down the dirt path. He hadn't made it much farther before a rather unexpected sight came into view. A large pile of gems filled his vision. His eyes widened in surprise. But as he stared at the glittering mass, he failed to notice that he was running towards a root in the ground. Said root, combined with an inattentive puff running as fast as he could, ended with a one way trip downwards.
"Poy-!" Kirby cried in surprise, but was cut off when he made contact with the earth. He tumbled along the ground a little ways before coming to a stop with his face in the dirt.
"Wha--!?" He heard a voice call out out. As he picked himself up off the ground he saw a familiar drake emerge from behind the glistening pile of jewels.
"Oh its just you Kirby." Spike murmured. He turned around to resume pulling the wagon, but then he realized just who he had just spoken to.
"Kirby!?" He yelped. "Wha-what are you doing out here?! Shouldn't you be back at Fluttershy's resting?"
Kirby looked at Spike before giving the small drake an answer.
"Explore!" he chirped.
Spike looked towards the pink puff incredulously. He didn't know what to say. The round puff looked like he wasn't going to make it when he'd first came falling from the sky. Now, not only had Kirby woken up in the same day, but he had made his way out of Fluttershy's cottage and was halfway towards Ponyville. Clearly this puff was made of sterner stuff. Even so, Spike was still worried for the puff.
"Kirby." Spike started "Don't you think you should be resting up? Its pretty late, and I don't think sleeping outside would be very comfy." Spike then looked over Kirby's body. "You've barely even healed up at all!" He pointed out.
Kirby thought about Spike's words. His wounds still ached and stung, but he'd had worse before. After a few seconds of though he shook his head. Spike simply sighed.
"Well alright then." he said. "I won't stop you if you want to explore."
Kirby, filled with joy, hopped into the air a few times, happily chanting a few "poyos" every now and then. Spike was having trouble not melting at the adorable sight.
"Alright, alright." He said at last. "Since we're both going in the same direction, I suppose I could point out things in the area for you so you don't get lost if you'd like.
Kirby nodded. Having someone show him around the area would make everything much easier.
"Alright then!" Spike said sharply, throwing his chest out to make himself look more important. "I, Spike, shall be your guide! Follow me!" Spike began to march down the dirt road, looking rather confident and proud. But he only made it a few steps forwards before he realized that he was leaving the wagon of gems behind and Kirby hadn't moved from his spot. "Oops" He muttered sheepishly, face beginning to tint red. He made his way back to the wagon and picked up the handle. "Okay." Spike said at last. " Now, we leave."
"Poyo!" Kirby chirped. He walked up besides Spike and looked at the small drake before facing down the path and pointing down the dirt road as if to say, "Lead the way!" Spike nodded and together the two walked down the path to their next destination in the fading daylight.
Twilight was not enjoying herself in the slightest. As soon as she had returned to the library, she had pulled out every single piece of lab equipment that she owned and began experimenting with the strange substance she had found earlier. She had tried a multitude of things to see if she could get a reaction out of it, only to find that the gooey blob didn't react to anything! What she thought would be an easy tasked turned into one of the most mind boggling experiences that she had ever had to experience.
"What in the hay is this stuff?!" She snapped. Her frustration and stress from the situation was showing. Her normally neat and tidy mane and tail were frazzled, splaying out in all directions. Her eyes twitched at frequent intervals. Overall she had the look of a mad scientist, and her mannerisms at the moment weren't too far off. Twilight took her gaze away from the glass bubble she had stored the goo in, to look over her notes.
"Lets see." she muttered to herself. "Pumping magic through subject had no effect. Every single chemical mixture and potion added to it has done nothing." Twilight continued to rattle off every single test and experiment that she had tried to herself. She desperately looked through her notes trying to find any discrepancies, any information she might have overlooked, any mistakes in any calculations she made. But it was all for naught, she just couldn't find anything that could provide any useful information. In fact everything pointed to the likelihood that whatever this was was something completely alien to ponykind! No recorded findings, no accidental creations, nothing.
"It doesn't make sense!" Twilight groaned loudly. At last she lost her last strand of patience. Letting out a hefty sigh, she trotted out of the room, desperately trying to calm herself down. She went to the kitchen and prepared a glass of cold water. She drank about half of its contents, before throwing the remaining liquid upon her face. She gasped, the cold water snapping her to her senses. As the water dripped off of her face, she had a sudden idea.
"I'll use my new telescope!" she thought to herself. She trotted upstairs towards the balcony, perhaps she'd make a new discovery! One that didn't involve--... Nope! she wasn't going to think about it. Star gazing was all she needed to be concerned about. As she placed her hooves onto the wooden panels of the balcony, the couldn't help but look up towards the sky. The moon was incredibly low in the sky at the moment, but Twilight knew that it would rise higher into the sky soon. After a moment of staring into the sky, she made her way towards her telescope. Once she reached the telescope, she began using her magic to hold it in place, she wanted to start where she had left off. As she tweaked the focus, she began to think about the instrument that she was currently preparing to use. It really did look nice, she was glad that the princess had given her such a wonderful gift. Perhaps she'd take it further out towards the plains with her friend one dayy, and show them the wonder beyond the sky. She chuckled lightly, imagining the reactions that each of her friends would have to such a thing.
At last she felt satisfied with her changes to the focus. Twilight slowly lowered her eye towards the the lens of the scope, ready to indulge herself with the night sky once more.
....
Twilight broke down into a pile of misery and tears. She didn't want to believe what she had just seen was real. Perhaps it was just a prank!
"Yes!" Twilight said in a hurried manner to herself. "Its just an elaborate prank! Maybe somepony put a sticker on the other side of this confounded thing!" Twilight rushed to the other side of the telescope, scanning every part of the the lens of any sort of thing that would explain why she was seeing what she saw through the telescope. When she found none, she teleported herself back to the kitchen and prepared another glass of water. This time she just threw the entirety of its contents across her face. Blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes just to be sure, she teleported back to the balcony and thrust her eyes back into the viewing lens of her telescope. When the sight from before came into view once more, Twilight decided to take the sensible course of action. Or rather the opposite of it.
As Twilight began to have her mental meltdown, she screeched loudly, causing two passing figures below to stop and look up towards the frenzied mare atop the balcony. One figure seemed to grow afraid at the sight while the other looked rather confused. The terrified figure made a dash away from the area as quickly as possible, leaving behind a shiny cart and its companion. The other figure turned away from from the sight of the angry ranting unicorn to question its buddy only to find that said buddy was running away at high speed and left its luggage behind. The figure began to panic, before seemingly absorbing the cart and chasing after its buddy, though now slightly bloated.
Twilight couldn't understand why she had to suffer today. First she thought a terrible fate had fallen upon her friends, then she had a horrible time trying to deduce what some random mystery substance was composed of, finally she had decided to end her day by gazing into her new telescope only to discover that the absurd object in the sky the other night that she had chalked up to be the creation of an exhausted mind was still there! She didn't know what to think of it, but she decided that she wasn't going to take this sitting down. Far from it. She was going to get to the bottom of this, even if it took all night.
"I will record my finding and present them to the board of science! I'll become the greatest scientist who ever lived!" Twilight cackled maniacally. Usually, Spike would be here to keep her in check to prevent her from falling this deep into the abyss of science, but due to the lack of small baby dragons named Spike around, there was nothing keeping Twilight from doing whatever she darn well pleased. With no further distractions or thoughts coming to mind, Twilight delved back into her notes and research with renewed energy.
Spike had arrived at the Carousel Boutique. He was overcome with relief as he made it to the doorstep. He didn't want to think of the scary sight he'd bore witness to further back. Watching Twilight have a meltdown was comparable to staring into the depths of Tartarus itself. But as he knocked on the door, he suddenly came to a realization. There was a distinct lack of jewels behind him and there wasn't a pink puff behind him either.
"Oh no!" Spike said to himself. "I left Kirby and Rarity's gems behind! Iv'e got to go back!" Spike turned to make his return journey to retrieve his new friend and the jewel cart but the sound of a door opening behind him made him freeze in place.
"Oh! Hello Spike." Said a squeaky voice from the doorway. "Did you and my sis bring back lots of gems?
Spike turned around to and tried to think of an excuse.
"Hey Sweetie Belle!" He started lamely. "Yeah, Rarity and I, found a BUNCH of gems today. So many in fact that..... I couldn't carry them all! Spike was sweating profusely. He wasn't sure if Sweetie Belle bought his excuse and the look on her face hardly gave that impression.
"Really?" She asked at last. "And here I thought you'd do anything for my sister."
Spike gulped. However, before he could try and come up with any other excuses, he heard the sound of of something coming up behind him. Looking back he saw Kirby and relief filled his face. His relief soon turned to worry however when he saw that Kirby's body was now rather bloated. He was much bigger than when he had left him, in fact Kirby was now the same height as Spike himself rather than being shorter than him.
"Aww! What is this cutesy creature you've got here Spike?" Sweetie Belle cooed. "Its absolutely adorable!
Spike ignored her though, opting to look Kirby's body over thoroughly.
"Dude! Are you alright? You're swelling up pretty badly! And you look exhausted!"
Kirby didn't answer. He just looked towards Spike with a tired look in his eyes, and sat down.
"Spike sighed sadly." Alright, I can fix this. Sweetie Belle can you watch over Kirby while I go--...... look for something to eat?
Sweetie Belle was too busy inspecting Kirby to note the dragon's poor excuse for leaving. Kirby on the other hand, had begun to stir at the mention of food.
"Yeah sure!" She said absentmindedly. The small white filly soon went back into the Boutique to retrieve something. Once she was out of earshot, Spike went to Kirby.
"Okay Kirby, I'll be right back!" Spike said hurriedly. "I've got to find that cart of gems, otherwise Rarity wont have the materials needed to finish her dress designs!" Spike shuddered at the thought of his crush having a face of disappointment. Failure wasn't an option.
Kirby began to stir some more, but ultimately said nothing. He only watched as Spike ran away from the area. Kirby chose this moment to act. He exhaled the contents of his mouth into the Carousel boutique. First came the mountain of gems, and then the cart. Feeling much lighter on his feet, Kirby dashed after Spike, leaving the extravagant building behind.
Sweetie Belle made her way towards the room that Kirby and Spike had been in. She found the pink puff that had followed Spike to be absolutely adorable in every since of the word and had wanted to play games with it. The only thing she questioned was the name Spike had given it. "Kirby sounds too harsh of a name for it.", she thought to herself. But before she could ponder a name change for the pink puff, she found a mountain of gems right before her. She was shocked. She didn't know where they had come from, and she was positive that Spike didn't have anything with him when she opened the door. She also found a lack of a certain pink puff in the room. She searched high and low for Kirby before giving up and returning to her room with a sigh.
Nothing ever wanted to play with her.
Spike was frantic. He had been looking everywhere for the cart that he had left behind, but the wasn't anything to be found. It was as if it had disappeared without a trace! To make matter worse, he was near the library. He swore he could hear the sounds of maniacal laughter from the inside. He knew that something had driven Twilight over the edge, but at this point he didn't want to find out just how deep she had fallen this time. Instead he opted to continue searching for the missing cart of gems. As he searched Kirby came running up behind him.
"Spike!" He called out.
Spike jumped, not expecting his name to be called out.
"K-Kirby! Wha--?" Spike shook his head. "Never mind, Kirby can you help me please?" Spike asked. " That cart of gems that i was carrying was for Rarity! If she doesn't get those gems, she won't be able to finish the project shes working on!" Spike was begging at this point. "Please! You've got to help me!"
Kirby realized that Spike didn't know that he'd eaten the cart and had spat it and the gems out at the building they had just left.
"Jue-well, back tear!" Kirby tried to convey his message through speech. Unfortunately Spike didn't seem to fully understand. At the very least though, Kirby had his attention.
"What?" Spike asked, unsure of what Kirby had just said. He scratched his head. Jewel where?
Kirby once again, didn't answer. He simply took off in a sprint back towards the Boutique. Spike was startled, but soon took off after him.
"Kirby!" He called out. "Wait up! You don't really know the way around Ponyville yet!"
Kirby ignored Spike. Continuing down the barren roads, he made his way back to the extravagant fashion store, stopping right outside the door.
Spike had finally managed to catch up to Kirby a few moment later. He was out of breath and was hardly in the mood for anything anymore. But before he could question Kirby about ditching him like that, the door swung open. A small white filly standing in the doorway.
"Spike! How did you do that?" asked Sweetie Belle.
Spike was confused. He had no idea what she was talking about and he didn't even feel like trying to come up with a clever excuse.
"Do..... what?" He gasped.
Sweetie Belle looked towards him with an unamused stare.
"Don't play dumb! How did you get all those gems in here without me noticing!?" Sweetie asked, this time a bit more edge in her voice.
Spike didn't know what to say.
"I--u-uuuhhhh...." He stammered.
Kirby chose this moment to act.
"Me give Ju-well!" He said happily. While Sweetie Belle reeled back in shock from the fact the the puff in front of her had just spoken words, Spike looked down towards Kirby with surprise.
"Y-You brought those here?" He asked. He could fathom how the puff could even move the cart. He himself had struggled pulling it!
Kirby only nodded.
Spike, having had his fair share of excitement for the day, plopped down right outside the door, looking off into the distance with a blank stare.
"Poyo?" Kirby walked over to him and poked him in the side. Spike stirred a little bit before standing back up and dusting himself off.
"Don't worry Kirby, I'm fine." Spike assured. He then turned to Sweetie. "Sweetie Belle, if its alright with you could we stay here for a while. At least until Rarity gets back from Fluttershy's."
Sweetie, having heard her name being spoken, finally responded.
"S-sure Spike!" She then turned to Kirby. "And you can stay here too! As long as you'd need to!" The little unicorn suddenly found herself full of excitement. "Ooh! We could play games to pass the time!"
Spike sighed and Kirby once again held a face of confusion.
This was going to be a long wait.
Deep in the reaches of space, a certain reality warping super computer was completing the scan of its current surroundings. Star Dream was still heavily damaged, but thanks to the repairs that most of the drones and other automated systems had made, it could run at a very low percentage of power. It wasn't nearly enough to continue the plans of---Itself? The computer seemed to draw nothing from its vast amount of knowledge. What was it doing? What was its purpose again? At that last "thought" Star Dream seemed to malfunction again. The massive machine planet started to shave violently, alarms blaring from within itself. After about a minute of seizing up, the machine soon returned to "normal." At last the data scan was complete. Many scout drones, combined had searched for any suitable materials that could help aid in the repair of Star Dream. Surprisingly there happened to be a planet nearby. Based on the findings of the drone, this planet was of minimal threat, and had a bounty of natural resources. Perfect for the __--__- PRoJecT....
Star Dream seized up once more. Priority number one would be repair itself to a suitable level. Then the dream of ultimate prosperity would begin.
Waiting for Rarity proved to be a test of patience for Spike. Here he was sitting on the floor of the Boutique, with Sweetie Belle and Kirby sitting around him with nothing to do. The trio had initially tried to play some board games to pass the time, but failed to find much enjoyment with them due to multiple pieces or cards missing from the boxes. After that, the three had simply plopped down and sat in silence waiting for something to happen.
At last Sweetie Belle spoke up.
"So.... Spike." She began, "How did you meet Kirby? Was it in the Everfree Forest?"
Spike shook his head.
"No. Actually the first time I saw Kirby was at the rock field where Rarity gets her gems." He looked over to Kirby before continuing. "Rarity and I had finished digging for gems. We were making our way back to Ponyville when all of a sudden something came falling towards us really fast! It hit the ground with a huge explosion! When we went back to investigate, we found Kirby laying in a crater."
Sweetie Belle looked unconvinced.
"Wait, so you're telling me that Kirby was the one who made that big explosion?" She questioned. "Look at it! It isn't very big and it doesn't look that strong or tough either."
"Well he's certainly tough." said Spike. "He was walking and running around like it was nothing only a few minutes after he woke up! And if you saw the size of the crater he left, I'd say that's impressive."
Sweetie was about to make another comment, but then she thought about something that Spike had just said.
"Wait a minute, Kirby's a he?" She asked. "How do you know that Kirby's a guy?"
Spike opened his mouth to reply, but soon found he had no answer.
"Erm, I don't actually. I kinda just assumed Kirby was..." Spike never got to finish his statement.
"So you just assumed Kirby's gender?" Sweetie Belle interrupted.
Spike flinched at the sudden shift in tone of Sweetie Belle's voice. Her voice sounded harsh all of a sudden.
"I....guess?" he replied at last, unsure how the filly would take his answer.
Sweetie Belle looked at Spike, then to Kirby. She looked Kirby over for moment before turning her gaze back to Spike.
"I think Kirby's a girl." She said at last.
Spike had no words. He just looked at Sweetie belle with a face that screamed "I have so many questions right now." Eventually he managed to actually ask one.
"What? What makes you think Kirby's a girl?" he asked.
Sweetie scoffed. "Just look at her! She's pink and red, and has deep blue eyes." She paused, thinking for a moment before speaking her thoughts. "And Kirby's voice sounds more like a girls voice rather than a boy's voice." She finished.
Spike found himself speechless once again. He just stared at Sweetie Belle, who seemed quite convinced that Kirby was, without a doubt, a girl. He turned his gaze to the side where Kirby was sitting. Spike didn't know how, but he somehow just felt that Sweetie Belle was wrong.
"Meh, I still think Kirby's a guy." he said at last.
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "We could always ask Kirby." She said.
Spike looked unsure. "Wouldn't that be rude?" he asked cautiously. "I mean, I bet a lot of ponies would be offended if I couldn't tell if they were a boy or a girl. I wouldn't want to offend him.... or her, whatever Kirby is! What if Kirby gets mad at us?"
The two thought about it for a while, weighing the pros and cons of asking such a question to a being that they didn't know much about. Soon they began voicing their thoughts with one another. Kirby just sat idly by, not paying the two much attention. He didn't take much interest with their conversation. In fact, he found himself becoming rather tired. His eyes became heavy and he struggled to keep them open. The the world suddenly became dark as he drifted off into slumber.
It was past midnight by the time Rarity made it back home. After a bit of unforeseen delay leaving Fluttershy's home, she found her self struggling to keep herself awake. But she had managed to make her way home, and was looking forward to her beauty sleep. But as she stepped inside her abode, she was surprised to see-
"What do you mean Kirby might be something other than a boy or girl?"
"I just think that Kirby could possibly operate by different rules than simply being a boy or girl."
"But didn't you say that Kirby was definitively a girl a while ago?"
"I changed my answer."
Rarity wasn't expecting to see Sweetie Belle still awake at this hour. She frowned, realizing that getting Sweetie Belle up for school tomorrow was now most likely going to be a difficult task. But taking her mind to other matters, she found herself wondering why Spike and, surprisingly, Kirby were currently in her home.
"Ahem." she coughed, startling both Spike and Sweetie Belle. After seeing just who it was interrupting their discussion, they both calmed down a bit.
"Hey sis!"
"Hi Rarity."
"Hello you two." She greeted flatly. "What are you all still doing up at this hour? Do you realize how late it is?"
Sweetie Belle and Spike looked at each other and then back towards Rarity.
"Uhhh.... no?" The two said in unison, both wearing a sheepish grin.
Rarity simply facehooved. She really didn't want exert more energy scolding them, she barely had the energy to converse with them. She weighed her options for a brief moment and, with a heavy sigh, gave directions to everyone present.
"Sweetie Belle, go on to your room and go to bed. You know you have school in the morning."
Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to protest, but a stern glare from her older sibling made any complaints she had fall apart.
"Alright" she moaned, as she made her way to her room.
Once Sweetie Belle had left the room, Rarity turned towards Spike and Kirby.
"Spike, what are you doing here?" She asked. "Shouldn't you be back at the library?"
Spike started to chuckle nervously. He didn't exactly want to tell Rarity what had happened with the gems and his run in with Twilight. "W-well Kirby and I passed by the Library on the way here. But while we were passing by we saw Twilight on the balcony. She looked like she was having one of her breakdowns so...... I kinda ran away." He finished feebly.
Rarity shook her head in disapproval. "Spike you should've at least made an attempt to help her out." Rarity was going to continue but a yawn left her mouth instead of a small lecture, causing her to blush. "Never mind, it's too late for you two to be walking around Ponyville. It would seem you'll have to spend the night here".
Spike's eyes grew wide. Him, spend the night at Rarity's? It was a dream come true! Spike shook his head to clear his thoughts. He didn't want to look too eager.
"A-alright then." he said at last, finally finding a little composure. He let out a loud yawn. "Where do I sleep?"
Rarity pointed towards a room a little ways away from them. "That room there is the guest room." She told him. "You and Kirby can sleep there for the night."
Spike looked over towards the door for a moment before walking towards Kirby.
"Okay Kirby" he yawned "Lets go to the guest room and get some sleep." Kirby didn't answer.
"Kirby?" Spike called softly. "Come on dude we gotta get some sleep!" Kirby still didn't reply. Spike gave the pink puff a closer look. When he heard a faint snoring, he sighed. "Of course you're asleep." Spike got a little closer to the pink puff and picked him up. After that he made his way to the guest room to turn in for the night. But not before telling Rarity.
Canterlot. Home to the upper crust of society and capitol of Equestria. It was also the place the Royal Sisters, Celestia and Luna, call home within Canterlot Castle. However today was a bit different for our lunar princess. Luna had been looking over her subjects in the dream realm as usual, when something had caught her attention. One of the dream portals had a different shape than the rest. While every single portal she had ever seen was in the shape of a sphere, this one in particular was in the shape of a star.
"What in the world of Equis?" she wondered aloud.
She stared at it for a moment, before making her way towards the oddly shaped portal, curiosity written all over her face. As she peered into the depths of it, she was greeted with a strange sight. With the portal, there was a round pink creature cowering before three figures. Luna looked over each of them, before charging her horn and entering through the portal, closing her eyes as she did so.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked at her surroundings before setting her sights on what was in front of her. She eyed each of the creatures trying to figure out what they were.
The first was the smallest of the three. It appeared to be a bipedal creature, but it had no visible legs or much of a body at all. What appeared to be its mane was pink and it was wild and untamed. Its eyes were a piercing blue seeming to be cold and calculative. On both sides of it were two floating extremities.
The second figure was a bit bigger than the first. Luna could only come up with "living egg" for a basic description of it. The egg shaped creature had what seemed to be a purple mustache upon its face and a similar, but smaller, mane on its head. It sat upon a throne that was made of gold and numerous jewels and gems. Luna could only imagine how much of a fortune such a thing would be worth. Looking between the two figures she noticed that they shared a few similarities, with their eyes being the exact same.
At last she turned looked at the last figure. She gasped at what she saw. Whatever it was it was the largest thing in the dreamscape by far. Yet despite its size, she had no clue why the object before her was the main cause of fear for the pink creature. It was a large cylinder shaped object that was rooted into the ground they stood on. Towards the top stood what appeared to be a large yellow eye. On both sides of it were what appeared to be wings, and the entirety of the thing had giant bands of light running around it, forming the shape of a.....
"Broken heart? Luna thought to herself. "Does that hold some kind of significance? Luna began thinking about the current situation, but she stopped when she heard voices.
Our Mechanizing Occupation Project is now underway...
The pink creature looked up at these words and Luna saw its face for the first time. It had blue eyes that seemed to twinkle as bright as her night sky, and it had rosy cheeks that seemed to never fade away. However the appearance of the creature wasn't of concern right now. She had to figure out the problem. What was this "project?"
Your people have unfortunately been identified as... obstacles....
The pink being looked defiant and jumped up, assuming a what Luna thought to be a battle position. However the large cylinder's eye suddenly lit up at that moment. Seeing this, the creatures look of rebellion turned to one of fear. Luna took this as confirmation that the thing was the main problem.
Savages! Savages! Savages! Savages! You're all wild savages!
The creature looked over to the living egg and started to back away slowly. Luna sensed no fear emanating from the puff towards the egg creature, only intense sadness. Though the reason for this was a mystery to her.
Suddenly the egg went limp. It fell off of it's throne and onto the floor. It remained like that for a moment before Luna watched it pick itself off of the ground. However something was different. It stumbled about almost as if it was unused to its body. Luna took a look at its eyes and noticed that the were now a sharp yellow instead of the calculating blue eyes it had before.
Slowly everyone watched as it began to hover lifelessly towards the large cylinder figure in the room. It when it finally made it within a hoofs reach of it, it flew into it. Luna watches as it disappeared into the object. She then turned to the dreamer who had a look of horror etched onto its face.
"Perhaps that was someone of importance that was lost?" she thought.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the strangest voice she had ever heard began to come from the large object.
You are invited to witness the end of history...
Luna snapped her head toward the thing at these words. That did not sound good at all. But before she could question the meaning of the words, the ground began to shake violently. Luna took took to the air as large bits and chunks of the ground began to spike up and give way to large chasms. Then all at once the ground gave way. Yet despite there being no ground to stand on, the dreaming puff didn't fall. In fact it seemed to be drifting around.
Luna was about to step in when she noticed the thing from before. What had appeared to be wings were now extended and had large blue beams of light emanating from them. It was quite a splendid sight, but Luna noticed that it was currently occupied with something and shifted her focus to what it was doing. It was hurtling down towards the abyss below them. Luna watches as it disappeared from view.
All was silent
Something massive shot past her at incredible speed. Luna didn't have a chance to see it, but the puff did. It yelped and cried out in fear. Luna turned her attention back towards what had passed her. What she was greeted with was an object of incomprehensible size. Whatever this thing was, it was impossibly large. Luna didn't know what to think of it, until she head it speak.
Enjoy your destruction.
Luna had seen enough.
"Enough!" She bellowed. "I know not what you are, nor do I care. But I shall not sit by and let thou plague this one's dream s any longer!"
Everything within the dream scape turned towards her at that moment, but it was only enough to catch a glimpse of her before she ended the nightmare.
BEGONE!
Kirby woke up with a fright. He had woken up from a nightmare. And that unsettled him greatly. But it wasn't the nightmare itself that unnerved him though. It was the fact that he had had a nightmare at all! Why did he have a nightmare instead of a dream? HOW did he have a nightmare instead of a dream? The Fountain of Dreams shouldn't, no, WOULDN'T have let that happen!
Before Kirby could get much deeper into his thoughts, he heard a knock. He looked up, finally taking notice of his surroundings. He was on a bed in an unfamiliar, yet astonishingly clean, room. Kirby slowly crawled out of the bed and made his way around the room, looking around for any clues that could show where he might be. The knock sounded once more drawing his attention to the door on the far side of the room. As he walked toward the new point of interest he heard a feminine voice from the other side of the door.
"Hello? Kirby dear, are you in there?"
Kirby, hearing the Rarity's voice, relaxed. A lot more than he thought. Who knew he was so tense? Before he could make his reply however, he heard Rarity sigh.
"Hm. Oh well. I suppose Kirby does need rest. I'll just ask Spike to hold onto Kirby's breakfast. I just hope he doesn't eat it instead."
Breakfast?
Did she say, Breakfast?!
Kirby charged at the door, all previous worries and injuries completely forgotten. There was no way he was going to miss out on a meal! He collided with the door at high speed, nearly throwing it off of its hinges. Rarity shrieked in alarm, the swinging door missing her by mere inches and colliding with the wall instead. A pink blur shot past her a moment later causing her to jump backwards with yelp of surprise. Kirby didn't take much notice of this however, his mind focused on a much greater goal. He could smell it.
As he followed the scent of food, he could hear something coming towards him. Ahead was Sweetie Belle and Spike, both trying to see what all the commotion was about. They saw Kirby charging towards them and froze unsure of what to do next. Kirby blasted past them, knocking them aside with hunger-fueled strength. As he darted the room ahead, he saw the treasure dead ahead, sitting on a table.
Pancakes and toast.
It was a large serving of them too! Kirby leapt towards the table with reckless abandon. Unfortunately, he didn't make it all the way towards his goal and instead smacked into the side of the table, face-first.
Rarity, Spike, and Sweetie Belle came running in, just in time to see the table, the food, and a dazed Kirby topple to the floor. Each of the three had different reactions to the scene.
Rarity looked at the kitchen in horror, nearly fainting at the sight of her now ruined kitchen.
Spike looked at the scene with his jaw dropped, having trouble comprehending what had just happened.
Sweetie Belle had a similar reaction to Spike. However she soon came back to reality, being the first to do so. After surveying the scene, her mouth went into a deep scowl and her faced reddened. After a moment of silence that seemed to drag on for hours, she gave an outraged cry that pierced the heavens.
"OH COME ON!"
After the breakfast fiasco, Rarity had run back to her room and locked the door, barring anyone from entering. Spike had followed her up until the door and after failing to convince her to let him in, began making attempts to calm her down from behind the door. Sweetie belle on the other hand, was giving Kirby the stink eye.
"Thanks a lot!" she spat. "You ruined our breakfast! Now what are we supposed to eat?!"
Kirby looked around at the mess he had caused, then back towards Sweetie Belle. He felt horrible. Tiff and Tuff had always tried to tell him to keep himself under control whenever he was hungry. But he still had trouble keeping himself in line if he was really hungry. Thanks to his little episode, he would be lucky if anyone wanted to speak to him again after this. That thought brought tears to his eyes.
"S-sowwy" he sobbed, covering his eyes with his small pink arms.
Sweetie Belle lost her anger almost immediately at the sight.
"N-no don't cry! Please don't cry!" She pleaded. It did little good though. Kirby sat on the ground and sobbed over the supposed loss of his new friends.
Spike sighed. At this point it was clear that Rarity wasn't going to calm down that easily. Reluctantly, he left the unicorn to her tears and slowly made his way downstairs, looking back once to see if anything had changed. Once he had made his way down, he went towards the kitchen in order to find the other occupants of the building.
"Well. I don't think Rarity's going to come out of her room anytime soon." He began. "Sweetie Belle, if you have time can you help...." The rest of Spike's words were lost as he took notice of what was currently happening. Kirby was on the ground crying, while Sweetie Belle was desperately trying to get him to stop. Spike ran over to the pair.
"K-Kirby! Whats wrong?!
Kirby didn't answer. He just continued to sob into his arms.
Seeing that Kirby was unresponsive to him he turned to Sweetie Belle for answers instead.
"Sweetie Belle what happened?! Did you do something to him?!" He shouted.
"W-what?! No! I mean..." Sweetie was unsure of what to say next. "W-well.... I did yell about how our breakfast was ruined" She finished at last.
Spike glared at her, but then turned his attention back to Kirby. He didn't know what to do. At least with Rarity he had a basic idea of what he could do to try and calm her down. But he knew little to nothing about Kirby. He thought about what the best course of action would be. At last he decided to act. He walked towards Kirby, picked him up, and gave him a small hug.
"Hey." He said softly. "It'll be okay. Sure you made a mess but I think its clear that you didn't mean for it to happen and you feel bad about it." He broke the hug and held his arms out with Kirby still in his claws. Kirby himself was looking a little bit better. He was no longer sobbing at least, but he still had tears in the corners of his eyes.
"F-forgive?" Kirby said at last"
"Yeah, we forgive you." Spike returned. He then turned towards Sweetie belle and gave her a look. "Isn't that right Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie Belle furiously nodded her head.
Anything to make the sadness leave Kirby's body.
After the trio had made up, they each got started with self-given tasks.
Sweetie Belle had to leave for school. She grumbled about having to go on an empty stomach, but she quickly stopped when Kirby looked over towards her once with a look in his eyes that asked "Are you still upset?" She didn't think she could survive if she had to see Kirby shed tears again, so she remained quiet as she packed up her things and didn't utter another word until she left.
Kirby and Spike remained in the kitchen and began cleaning up the mess. Spike had gotten some napkins and began cleaning up syrup that had gotten onto the tiled floor, while Kirby had started to dispose of the pancakes and toast that lay scattered all over the kitchen, by eating them. Spike pretended that he didn't notice.
Once they were done cleaning, Spike made his way towards Rarity's room with Kirby following closely behind. The two could hear the sobs coming from within the room. Kirby began to feel guilty again.
"P-poyo" he croaked. He wasn't sure if Rarity would be willing to forgive him. At least not as easily as Spike and Sweetie did.
Spike glanced over.
"Hey it'll be fine. Rarity's a nice mare. I'm sure she'll forgive you."
Kirby looked a little unsure at the drake's words, but he soon found a smile on his face.
"Poyo!"
Spike, seeing Kirby give a full smile, felt a bit more confidant. He turned towards the door and knocked without hesitation.
"Rarity?"
Chaos. That was the only word needed to describe the stare of Ponyville Library. Books lay everywhere, parchment was scattered all over the room; most of it in tatters or balled up, Inkwells were knocked over, letting their black trails stain whatever lay in their path. And in the center of it all, was a very disgruntled Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight had suffered tremendously from trying to learn the secrets of the mystery goo that she had come across in the rock fields. She had a massive headache and she could probably sleep the next few days away no problem. She had no idea of what to do from here.
She had used spell after spell, trying to determine what the substance was, and after each failed attempt it felt as though she had gotten farther from her goal. The blue/purple goo seemed to taunt her, bubbling within the contained environment she had created for it.
"Why?" she yelled out in frustration, "Why won't you do anything! I know you aren't documented in any science or research books, you're completely foreign to the world. I've documented just about everything I've found about you, which is pretty much NOTHING!" Twilight looked around as if she was being watched, before turning her attention back towards the mass of goo.
"Please just do something." At that Twilight broke staring down at the floor with defeat.
The door creaked open.
"Twiiiiiiliiiiiight? Are you in there?" A bubbly voice called out.
Twilight sighed. "What is it Pinkie?"
The door burst open, shoving several books and inkwells flying, A pink blur shot through the door and landed on top of Twilight. Twilight wheezed as the pony sat on top of her.
"Twilight! I need to ask for super duper extra special favor from you!" Pinkie rattled off.
Twilight simply groaned, too tired to argue with the pink mare.
"And that would be?" she asked slowly.
"My Pinkie sense told me that there's a new pony in town!" Pinkie shouted. "I was wondering if we could use the library to host the "Welcome to Ponyville" party this time around because Rainbow dash has been complaining about how every single party I throw usually takes place at Sugar Cube Corner which I never really thought about. I mean-"
The rest of Pinkie's ramblings were lost on Twilight. She didn't have the energy to keep up with the bubbly mare at that point in time. So she just opted to say yes to her demand, if only so she could get back to studying the goo again.
"Sure Pinkie Pie, whatever you need."
Pinkie leapt for joy.
"Yay! Thank you so much Twilight. I'll make sure that this is the best party EVER!"
Pinkie was about to leave when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face it and saw a massive glass bubble holding a mass of goo.
Naturally she was all over it in seconds.
"Oooh! Twilight whats this?" She asked looking at the orb at multiple impossible angles.
The goo started to bubble faster.
"I don't know Pinkie" the purple unicorn sighed in frustration. "Whatever it is, its difficult to study. I can't find any records or info about it."
Pinkie sat atop the glass sphere containing the bubbly goo. "Did you try pumping it with magic?" She asked.
Twilight sent a glare towards her pink friend-turned-annoyance. "YES Pinkie..." she said, trying to keep an even tone.
The goo's colors began to swirl faster.
Pinkie hopped down from the orb and gave the goo a long look.
"Hey Twilight"
Twilight lost patience.
"WHAT?!"
Pinkie pointed towards the goo unfazed by the harshness of her friends voice. "I think its doing something."
Twilight snapped her eyes over towards the glass bubble just in time to see the goo swirl into a vortex of blue and purple and condense itself into a small orb.
But before she could make any further actions, the goo ball grew in size shattering its glass prison. Twilight managed to conjure a shield of magic to protect both herself and Pinkie from the shards, but what she saw next blew away any expectations she had.
Where the goo had once been, now stood what appeared to be a large penguin. It appeared to be wearing clothing, but she couldn't be sure as the entirety of the thing seemed to be made out of the goo from before. It had what looked to be a deep purple robe with grey gloves on its body and a hat with a spiky pom on the top of its head with the same colors. When she looked at its eyes she gasped as she saw them to be glowing a purple in a fixed angry glare. Overall it looked kind of intimidating.
ROOOOAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH
Whatever this thing was it seemed pretty loud too.
"Ooh! Hello there! I'm Pinkie Pie! I've never seen something like you before! Whats your name?" Pinkie had begun trying to speak to the thing in front of them. The gooey penguin creature looked over towards her. When its eyes fell upon Pinkie it sneered and its glare intensified.
"Uh Pinkie?" Something tells me we should get out of here." Twilight whispered to her friend. "Like, right now!" She began charging a teleport spell in case the creature made a move.
"But Twilight! -" Pinkie never got to finish her rebuttal, as the thing chose to charge at them. Twilight's eyes grew wide and, in her panic, fired her teleportation spell at the goo creature instead of using it on herself and Pinkie. With a "Pop" and a flash it was gone.
"Aww" Pinkie groaned. "Now who's gonna throw Mr. Googuin party?
Twilight paid no attention to the name Pinkie had given to the monster. Instead she was frozen, her mind trying to catch up to what she had just done. At last she gave out a panic filled shriek.
"I've just sent that thing to the middle of Ponyville!"
She turned to Pinkie with seriousness on her face.
"Pinkie we have to get a move on! Who knows what that thing could be doing right now!"
Pinkie looked her friend in the eyes an gave a salute.
"Okie dokie lokie!" she yelled. "I'll meet you there!" With that Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a small blue cannon. She loaded herself into it and fired, sending herself flying into the distance, away from the center of Ponyville.
Twilight looked at the the Party pony had once stood trying to make sense of her actions before realizing it was Pinkie Pie and teleported herself towards the center of town.
Where the market was in full swing.
The market in Ponyville was particularly busy today. Many of the vendors had special sales going on and everypony wanted to get their hooves on something before it was sold out. All and all, it was a pretty good day. That is until one of the stands was suddenly reduced to a pile of splinters.
Every single pony in the vicinity of the crash looked over towards the ruined stand. A few brave ponys made their way towards the stand before a loud roar rumbled from it. Something big, scary, and penguin like burst forth from the ruins, roaring loudly at everything in the area.
"Everypony run! It's a monster!" Cried a voice.
Every pony in the market went into a blind panic at this. Hooves thundered in every direction, everypony desperate to get away from the threat. Except for one. There was an apple stand further away from the market with a single orange pony working said stand. When the monster cry went up she had dropped everything and made her way towards the source.
She dodged the panicking ponys expertly, weaving in and out through the flurry of hooves. When she made it to where the cry originated from she gasped. Some weird creature made of what looked like flowing liquid was demolishing stands around the market with a giant mallet. It was about to destroy another one when it spotted a donut stand. The thing stared at it before it opened its mouth. Wide. Very wide. Suddenly a multitude of things started flying towards its awaiting maw. Rocks, grass, donuts and other small to medium sized objects were devoured in mere seconds.
Once the monster finished it's meal it turned and faced towards the orange mare. It reared back and gave a loud roar.
The pony sighed.
"Ah knew ah should've stayed on the farm today." moaned Applejack, as she readied a rope.
Spike was feeling pretty good with himself. It had taken what must've been hours but he and Kirby had finally managed to convince Rarity to leave her room. She was still wailing about the state her kitchen was in but when she saw how expertly the pair had cleaned up, she ceased all crying and her eyes had shown pure happiness. She thanked the two, and rewarded Spike with a kiss on the cheek.
After that the two were about to make leave the boutique exit, when a large crash sounded off, startling everyone present.
Rarity, Kirby, and Spike rushed towards the sound to see a pony with wings lying on the floor. She had a rainbow mane with a tail to match and her body was sky blue. Rarity and Spike were surprised to see the newcomer but Kirby just looked confused.
"Rainbow Dash!? What is the meaning of this?!" Rarity cried out in exasperation. "These two just spent a good part of their day getting my house cleaned and you've gone and made another mess!
The rainbow maned pony brought herself up to her hooves quite hastily, brushing herself off before giving off an explanation.
"No time for that Rarity! There's a monster attacking Ponyville!" Rainbow rattled off.
This changed Rarity's demeanor rather swiftly. Kirby twitched.
"What?! Oh dear. Okay, we can handle this." Rarity turned towards Spike.
"Spike! Make sure you keep yourself and Kirby out of danger. We'll be right back!"
Spike looked a bit sour but otherwise agreed.
Rarity and Rainbow quickly left the scene. Rainbow did take a glance at Kirby, but thought nothing of him and flew off into the distance at high speed.
Once they were gone, Spike let out a sigh.
"Looks like I'm on the sidelines again." He was used to this by now. When something ended up happening, he was usually left behind. He didn't mind it much at first, some of the things the girls had to do were scary. But after a while it got boring simply waiting for them to come back. Almost unbearably so. He'd tried asking but the others simply told him it was too dangerous.
Spike decided to take his thoughts elsewhere so not to get himself further into the pits. He looked around to and found Kirby charging at the door, trying to make an exit.
"K-Kirby?!" Spike yelped, making a dive for the pink puff. "What are you doing?!"
Kirby turned to face him, a look of determination spread across his face.
"Kirby help Wawity!" he called out.
Spike looked on with surprise before making another attempt to stop to puff from leaving.
"Kirby, Rarity told me to look after you! Besides it's dangerous out there!"
Kirby expression didn't falter. Instead he simply turned back towards the door and tried to open it once more.
Spike grabbed Kirby from behind, hoping to stop him. To his shock however, Kirby didn't slow down very much at all. In fact he was now dragging Spike across the floor with ease. Eventually he lost his grip and Kirby bolted towards the door, colliding with with a pretty big impact, if the sound it made was anything to go by. The door swung open and Kirby bolted outside.
"KIRBY!"
Seeing as he had to keep watch over him, Spike dusted himself off before bolting outside himself, trying desperately to keep up with the pink puff.
Everything was a disaster in the center of town. The market was devoid of ponies minus a certain few. When Twilight had teleported into the market and saw Applejack attempting to tie up the beast, she had hope. But everything had gone south when it simply shrugged off the rope and broke it like it was nothing. After that Applejack was swiftly tackled by the beast, launching her into another set of stands. Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be found and Applejack was preoccupied trying to get herself out of the wreckage. With no other options at the moment she decided to engage it herself.
V.S ???
Twilight charged her horn and fired a multitude of laser shots. Half of them missed their marks and the other half seemed to have little effect on the creature other than enraging it. With a roar it charged at her, intending to tackle her into the ground. Twilight charged up her horn and teleported out of the way, with the creature eating the dirt where she once stood.
Not wasting time, she quickly started casting more magic shots towards her opponent. She was a bit more accurate this time, most of her shots hitting the beast in the side. After getting its bearing the goo monster picked itself up, and stared down Twilight, fury shining brightly in its purple eyes. But before it could make a move, it found itself flying into a building. Applejack had manged to get herself free and had snuck up behind the beast and give it a good buck. The two ponies took the moment they had to formulate their next move.
"What's the plan Twilight?" Applejack asked, not taking her eyes off of where the beast lay.
"I'm not sure Applejack" Twilight replied. I don't know what in Equestria that thing is, but we need to take it down before it causes anymore damage!"
The pair kept staring at the gooey mass, waiting to see what it would do next. When it was finally upright it held it hand in the air, summoning its mallet. The two thought that it was going to charge at them again and prepared themselves to dodge. Unfortunately, they were wrong. The Goo penguin reared its hammer back and slammed the hammer head into the ground, sending an energy wave across the ground. The two ponies gasped, and fled in the other direction. Anything in the wave's path was swiftly flung away from it if it wasn't destroyed by it instead. The two kept going before looking back to see that the wave had dissipated a ways back. Curiously a lone star remained in its place for a moment before it dissipated too.
Twilight and Applejack just sat there, trying to catch their breath, when they heard a shout behind them. Turning back they saw Pinkie galloping towards them with Fluttershy on her back, looking as if she wanted no part in the events that were unfolding, which was accurate.
"Pinkie! Fluttershy!" Twilight called out, bolting towards her friends. But before they could reach each other, the beast landed in between them. The impact from hitting the ground sent out two smaller waves across the ground, throwing the three mares in every direction. Seeing this, the monster began to laugh.
HEh HeH hEh HEh Heh HEH HeH!
It's voice sounded distorted and weird, it was as if it were chugging water as it was speaking. It unnerved everypony present. But seeing as it was currently preoccupied, Applejack ran towards it and punched it with her forehoof. The beast stumbled before swinging around, just in time to see AJ's rear hooves smash into it's face. The beast was sent flying once more, however instead of sailing into the distance, a rainbow blur smashed into it, plowing it into the ground. When the dust settled the monster lay on its back with a certain speedster pegasus on top of it.
"Rainbow!"
Hearing her name being called, Rainbow bounced off of the creatures body and flew over towards her friends, landing in front of them.
"Heh heh! No need to thank me. Rainbow dash has got it all under control." she boasted flexing her wings to show off.
Twilight and Aj groaned, while pinkie said nothing. Fluttershy however had her eyes on the monster. She eyed it with suspicion.
Suddenly the eyes of the beast flew open, and it bounced back onto its feet. Flutter shy shrieked, startling the entire group.
"W-what is it Fluttershy?" twilight asked.
The yellow pegasus could only point towards the thing they thought they had defeated. However it had its mouth wide open. Applejacks eyes widened. She recognized this.
"Everypony get out of the way!" she yelled, but it was too late.
The wind picked up tremendously. The five mares found themselves toppling over from the unexpected gust of wind, and tumbled towards the maw of the beast. Each of them saw their lives flash before there eyes. Everypony they had met, all the things they'd ever done, all the good times they'd shared all went by in an instant as they all tumbled into the darkness.
Suddenly the world felt full of motion, as if they were hurtling at high speeds. Then they felt pain. Each of the mares found themselves on the ground. Shaking themselves off, they each took in their surroundings.
"W-wait? We're alive?" Aj asked cautiously.
"Seems like it." Rainbow replied, checking her wings to make sure nothing was broken. When she was satisfied that everything was in good working order, she prepared to charge at the beast that nearly ate them all, only to find that her tail was encased by magic, preventing her from moving.
"Twilight?! What they hay!?" she shouted, struggling to break free.
"Rainbow Dash, slow down for a moment will you!?" The studious unicorns order did little to calm the the prismatic maned pegasus, but she reluctantly gave into the demand.
Twilight sighed. "Okay", she began "Before we do anything else, we need to go get Rarity. We can do anything as a team, but if one of us is missing then we wont be at our full strength. Rainbow Dash, I need you to fly to Carousel Boutique and bring her here.
Then a voice squeaked out. "No need for that dearie, I'm right here."
The five mares looked back to see Rarity picking herself up off the ground. She did not look amused in the slightest.
"Rarity? What happened happened to ya?" Asked Aj. "Ya look like ya threw down with a bull and the bull won."
Rarity huffed. "Well Rainbow dash had told me about a monster attacking the town so I ran of to try and help. Rainbow, on the other hoof left me behind. I was almost to town, when a giant star blasted me in the face, throwing me back. Then out of nowhere you five appeared out of thin air." She finished.
The five mares looked at Rarity with varying expressions on their faces, before looking back to where the beast was. It was currently approaching them slowly, with a predatory grin on its face.
The six mare, quickly got into battle positions, ready to take on the threat once and for all. But before any of them could make any moves. They heard a sound.
"Poyo!"
That sound made two of the six whirl around in surprise and worry. Seeing two of their friends being distracted by something the rest of mares turned around to see what was going on.
There was Kirby, running full speed towards the market turned battle ground, with a familiar baby dragon trailing behind him exhausted.
Naturally the mares flipped out.
"SPIKE!?"
"KIRBY?!"
Battle temporarily forgotten, the six ran towards the newcomers.
Kirby stopped before them, and they stopped before him.
Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, and, Applejack simply stared at the being before them, while Rarity and Fluttershy were quick to try and fix the situation.
"Kirby!? What are you doing here?" Rarity hissed. "Its dangerous here, go back to the boutique at once!"
Kirby's blank expression turned into a glare. The first time Rarity had ever seen such a thing on Kirby's face.
"Nu!"
"Kirby please! It isn't safe here!" Pleaded Fluttershy. "You need to find a place to hide!"
Kirby remained defiant. He stood there in place before Spike walked up behind him and grabbed onto Kirby from behind, hoisting him into the air.
"So sorry Rarity" He started rattling off. "Kirby slipped from my grip wont happen again!"
Kirby began squirming, and once again escaped Spike's grasp. As soon as he hit solid ground he dashed forwards.
"Kirby, NO!"
The rest of the mares, despite having no clue who this Kirby was, decided that it would be best to stop him before something bad happened. But each time they got close, he evaded their grasp until he made it to the front of the group where he came face to face with....
"D-d-d-Clo!?!"
"KIRBEH?!
That little exchange quickly got the attention of everyone present. Even though they didn't know what it was, this beast somehow knew Kirby's name. Everything was silent, nothing making a single sound. However the tense silence didn't last. The beast seemed to be re invigorated by pure rage.
"KIRRRBBBEEEEHHHH!!!" it howeled.
It began to charge forwards before Rainbow tackled it to the ground.
As she struggled to keep the beast down, she turned towards her friends. "Well what are you waiting for?!." She cried out.
The beast threw Rainbow off, rearing its head back and roaring to the sky. The girls chose this moment to act. Twilight and Pinkie began using ranged fire to try and get some damage in, while Applejack and Rainbow tried to rush in and out landing quick blows to the beast. Fluttershy and Rarity however had not joined the fray, instead opting to try and escort Kirby and Spike away from danger.
"Come on you two, lets get you away from this dreadful scene."
"We'll go to my cottage, then everything will be okay."
Kirby had had enough. He would not sit by on the sidelines and let his friend's friends get hurt when he could do something about it. He turned around and made one last dash towards the market. Rarity made to grab him with a hoof, only to find her hoof being knocked aside rather easily. With a worried glance, Rarity and Fluttershy chased after him once more, desperate not to let any harm come to the pink puff.
The battle was not going well between the beast and the four mares. Pinkie had run out of ammunition to fire from her Party Cannon, and had resorted to distracting the goo penguin for Aj and Rainbow. Twilight was still flinging spells but her exhaustion was slowly catching up to her. At this rate the battle would be lost.
"Poyo!"
The goo monster ceased attacking the mares and looked towards the source of the voice.
There, standing with a glare on his face, was Kirby.
"KIIIIIIRRRRRRBBBBBBBEEEEEEEHHHHHHH!" the creature roared, throwing the attacking mares back a bit with its voice alone.
With fury plastered across its face. The beast charged towards the puff. Time seemed to slow down to the ponys. Here they were, struggling to take down this beast, while this small pink blob stood perfectly still, letting the beast charge him with reckless abandon. "Did this Kirby want to be clobbered?" they thought. "What can he do against something like that?!" The six mares shut their eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Another pair of eyes came running up to see the beast closing in on his new friend. Spike's eyes widened and he cried out.
KIRBY!
It was go time.
Right before Dedede's clone tackled him, Kirby slid under him, ending up on the other side unharmed. The Dedede Clone kept sliding onward, its face enjoying meal of dirt. Kirby, seeing the opportunity, took a quick glance at his surroundings. Wreckage was everywhere, but nothing really gave the impression of having an ability. But everything was fine. He could make this work.
Kirby made his way towards a pile of rubble, as he did so, he heard a few gasps coming from around him. He turned to see the six mares staring at him with surprise. But he didn't have time to wonder about that, he had a clone to beat. Kirby stopped a ways away from the pile of debris, before opening up his mouth and began to inhale. The pile quickly flew disappeared into his mouth as he puffed up from having new ammunition. He turned around to find the clone charging towards him again.
Kirby reared his head back, before blasting a star bullet towards the unsuspecting clone. The clone barely had time to register was was happening before it plowed straight into the star shaped missile. An explosion rang out and dust flew everywhere. When the dust settled the only thing that proved the beast had existed were three small puddles of goo.
"Now for the hard part" thought Kirby, as he readied his stance.
Nopony could believe what they had just witnessed. This pink puff, who some called Kirby, had opened his mouth to an impossibly wide size for such a small creature, and sucked up a large pile of rubble as if it was dust in the wind. Then to add to the strange sight, it spat out some sort of star shaped bullet. Said bullet had reduced the gooey penguin into nothing more than a bunch of puddles, with one shot. The mares stood in silence unsure of what to say. Twilight was having the worst of it, struggling to keep her composure.
"Wha- b-but..! How!?!?" She cried. Twilight began running through calculations in her mind, but it was too much. The stress from today and the day prior had finally caught up to her. With a moan, Twilight collapsed.
The other mares quickly rushed over to their fallen friend battle temporarily forgotten. Spike soon put himself among them, squeezing through the legs of the 5 to try and get to the fallen unicorn.
"TWILIGHT!", they cried.
Kirby turned around to see what the commotion was about, but quickly turned his attention back to the puddles lingering on the ground. He knew what was going to happen next. One by one, each of the puddles began to take shape, emitting a groaning sound as they did. They soon had their individual forms back together, ready to attack. However they were smaller than when they were a singular being. Rather than standing above each pony, they now stood at roughly the same height. The clones looked around before hopping into a line. Despite this, the pink puff's expression didn't change. Kirby held his ground, refusing to back down. This battle wasn't quite over yet.
Without warning, the three beasts charged towards Kirby. Kirby had been expecting this, however, and with practiced precision he expertly jumped over the familiar trip-tackle attack. As soon as he landed his eyes darted around to find something that could be used for ammunition. It didn't take him too long to find another decently sized pile of wreckage. He darted over and inhaled it, feeling his body swell up. He turned back to find that the clones were now running straight towards him once more.
Kirby fired his cargo at the clones, the resulting star bullet colliding with the first in line, exploding as soon as it hit. If it did any damage though, it didn't show. The clones continued to charge forwards, not slowed down from the impact at all. Kirby leapt out of the way of the charging beasts. They skidded to a stop, facing the pink puff with their eyes glowing menacingly. Then they each summoned a hammer. They all started to smile deviously. Suddenly they each started to smash their mallets into the ground furiously. Each impact shook the ground beneath them with incredibly intensity, a testament to just how strong they were. Kirby was thrown off balance. The quakes quickly drew the attention of the 5 mares and Spike. They all braced themselves, trying to keep upright. Kirby however toppled over.
The Dedede clones made their move.
Each of them launched into the air, hammers raised behind them. Then as quickly as they rose into the sky, they fell back down, swinging their hammers with all their might. The impact sent 3 massive waves flying straight towards Kirby. Kirby didn't recover in time, he took the full force of the first wave and was sent flying.
"Poooooyooooooo!" he cried out.
The friends watched in shocked horror as Kirby tumbled through the air and hit the ground, sliding to a halt just in front of their unconscious unicorn friend.
Spike was the first recover from the scene.
"Kirby!" he shouted, "Are you okay?!"
The pink puff looked up towards the young drake and nodded. Before anything else could be said though, a mocking laughter filled the area. Everyone turned to see that the clones were laughing once more, only this time it was much more obnoxious with the addition of two extra beasts. They were laughing quite hard too, two of them rolling on the ground at the pink puff's misfortune. The ponies were appalled.
Kirby jumped to his feet, ready to battle once more. Fluttershy wasn't too pleased at this motion.
"K-kirby! You can't fight them! W-what if-"
She was silenced by a hoof on her back. Fluttershy turned around to find Applejack standing behind her, an unsure look on her face.
"Now Fluttershy" Applejack began, " I know this little fella probably means a lot to you," She turned to face Rarity and Spike, "and to you two. But it seems like this little guy knows enough about fighting to know what it needs to do in order to survive one."
Fluttershy did not like where this conversation was headed. Neither did Rarity.
"Now wait just one moment Applejack!" the white unicorn began, growling out her words. "Are you expecting us to allow Kirby to fight those horrid beasts!? Did you not see what they just did to him!?"
Applejack shook her head.
"Now Ah know it probably doesn't sound like a good idea to you three, but Ah think that perhaps Kirby could help us win!"
Before Rarity could retort to the farmer's statement, Rainbow spoke up.
"She might have a point guys." She managed to say. It certainly wasn't easy with the glare that was being sent her way from her other friends. "Hey I'm just saying! That thing Kirby did with the star blew that thing to pieces! It seemed pretty strong."
Rarity growled at Rainbow, before something clicked in her mind. Star...
"Wait a moment." she muttered. Suddenly her entire face lit up, before turning into a frown, then into an expression of uncertainty. She looked towards her friends, whos expressions had changed from worry to curiosity at the fashionista's rapidly changing expression.
"Girls I just realized something." she said. "That star that our dear Kirby shot that awful beast with came from his mouth after he ate that rubble correct?" the others nodded, though they were unsure of where the conversation was going.
"Well..." Rarity continued. "Like I said earlier, before I arrived I was blasted WITH a star, and a rather large one at that. But Kirby wasn't here for that. If Kirby hadn't arrived yet, then where did that particular star come from?"
The girls were wide eyed at the question. Applejack was connecting the dots the quickest. Kirby sucked up the wreckage like a vacuum. The beast had done the same to them. Kirby spits stuff out as stars? The one time that thing had spat something out was when it had eaten them. Applejack wasn't a very happy pony when she came to the realization.
"That darn thing used us as a weapon!" She growled, glaring towards the still laughing clones. She then turned to Rarity. "How badly did it hurt?"
Rarity winced at the recent memory, "It hurt quite a bit." She said at last.
Applejack seemed to ponder about something for a moment before turning to face Kirby.
"Now uh, Kirby, right? She said towards the small puff. "If you were to eat more stuff would those star thingies you spit out be stronger?"
Kirby nodded.
"Well then" Applejack said, a smirk crossing her face. "Girls Ah do believe we got ourselves a plan."
Before anyone could question her, the farm pony burst into action, dashing towards the clones. The clones failed to react fast enough. Applejack swiftly swung around and bucked as hard as she could. She could feel the weight against her hoofs tense and slacken as two of the clones had been sent flying, colliding with a nearby stand and reducing it to splinters. The third quickly sobered up and hastily took a swing at the farmer with its hammer. Applejack rolled to the right, avoiding the sloppy attack and punched it, knocking it over. She then jumped onto its body, doing her best to hold the gooey beast down.
"Applejack!" Rarity called out, "What are you doing!?"
"Drawing its attention!" She shouted back. The clone was thrashing about wildly beneath her. Despite her strength, she didn't know how long she'd be able to hold the thing down. She looked back towards the group and nodded towards Kirby "Ah'd suggest you get the little guy something to eat and fast!" No sooner than she said that, the clones that had been thrown away came running back, eyes seemingly glowing brighter with rekindled fury. Before they could make any sort of attack however, a rainbow blur blasted past them, sending them spinning like tops.
"Don't worry AJ!" called Rainbow as she flew back and tackled one of the beasts down, "I won't let you fight these things by yourself!"
A pink blur ran up and tackled the other clone, holding it down.
"Same for me!" Pinkie said as she glared at the clone thrashing beneath her, "Besides I have a policy on laughter that these three have broken." She glared menacingly, "Nopony laughs at another pony's suffering for malicious purposes or intent in Ponyville when I'm around. NOPONY."
Rarity watched as her three friends began brawling with the gooey monstrosities once more, before turning back to the rest of the group. Her face was unreadable and she seemed to be in deep thought.
"R-rarity?" Spike asked feebly.
That seemed to bring rarity out of her thoughts. She whipped around to face Spike, startling him in the process.
"Spike. I need you to go around and collect as much debris around the market as possible and bring it back here." She ordered. Rarity then turned to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy I know you don't like to fight, so I won't ask you to. All I ask of you is to watch Twilight here and make sure she's okay."
Spike and Fluttershy looked at one another before a look of determination crossed their faces.
"Alright." the two said in unison.
Rarity smiled before she turned to face Kirby. The pink puff was staring at her with a neutral expression on his face. Rarity sighed softly before speaking up.
"Kirby..." she began, "I... as much as I don't want you to get involved and hurt yourself, it seems that I can't stop you from joining the battle. Just.... please be careful." She finished at last.
Kirby stared at the white unicorn before a grin spread across his face.
"Poyo!" He said, full of confidence. "Kirby help!"
Rarity smiled sadly at the puff. It seemed like Kirby could be about as stubborn as a certain mare.
"Alright. Lets end this battle once and for all!"
"Poyo!"
VS Dedede Clone [Second Phase]
The clone pinned down by Rainbow Dash broke free of her grip. Rainbow took off just in time to avoid a hammer swing. Without missing a beat, the clone jumped into the sky. However instead of falling back down it seemed to inhale air with much less intensity than before. It quickly bloated up and maintained a steady hover. Dash was caught off guard for a moment before she charged it, striking it in the stomach. The clone winced, but otherwise took the hit. Then before she had a chance to react, the clone exhaled all of the stored air at one. Rainbow found herself knocked back by the force. Despite it being air, it had hurt a decent amount. When she recovered she couldn't find her opponent anywhere. Suddenly she found herself hurtling towards the ground and in pain. As she tumbled down she could make out the shape of a a clone falling down from her original position, hammer in hand. Rainbow attempted to recover herself, but ended up slamming into Pinkie, releasing another clone from the clutches of a pony.
The newly freed clone soon gained its footing and lifted its hammer up into the air. It then began to rise into the sky while a strange energy seemed to surround the hammer's head. It glared at the two recovering ponies before a sadistic grin burst across its gooey beak. Without warning, a volley of energy bullets began spewing from the hammer, peppering the ground with small explosions. Applejack was knocked off of the Dedede clone she had pinned and was sent tumbling away. Rainbow took to the air to avoid the blasts while Pinkie expertly dodged the volatile energy hurtling her way. The clones weren't going to go down so easily.
As the clones battled the 3 ponies they failed to notice Spike and Rarity creating a rather large pile of debris. They gathered as much stuff as they could find to fuel Kirby's ability to shoot energy bullets as possible. However they ended up discarding many things they came across due to something they deemed hazardous whether it was nails stuck in a board or shards of glass from a particular vendor. Thanks to this, the pile for Kirby was growing rather slowly.
Kirby watched as the pile grew ever so slowly, before deciding to join the fight as a ranged fighter. He ran away from the growing pile to find some junk that was scattered around. Every time he'd find a sizable piece of wreckage, he'd inhale it and take a potshot at the clones. Unfortunately he wasn't able to simply sling stars at the opponent with the other ponies locked in combat with them. He didn't want to hurt them by accident. Due to his hesitation, shots seemed to do more harm than good. Most of them missed. Others didn't make it to their targets, instead exploding on the ground, often startling or throwing the ponies off guard enough for a clone to take a free swing at them.
Kirby was about to prepare another shot when he felt something tap him. He whipped around to find Spike looking at him with a hopeful expression on his face.
"Alright, we got all the stuff we could find!" Spike said. He looked up to see what his friends were doing. They were still locked in combat, doing their best to avoid whatever chaos the clones were throwing at them. He then looked back down to Kirby.
"Come on, we better help them while those things are focused on their current fight." Spike said at last.
Kirby nodded and followed Spike back to the the pile of junk that Rarity and Spike had amassed. It wasn't massive, but it was certainly the biggest pile that he had access to. Rarity was dumping another chunk of wood she had found into the pile as they approached. When she saw the two she gave a sigh of relief.
"Spike! Kirby! Thank goodness you two are alright!" She exclaimed. "She ran up to the two before turning to Kirby and gave him a smile.
"Alright Kirby. This was as much stuff that we could find." She said, looking the pile over once more to make sure nothing sharp too sharp was located inside the pile. When she was sure that everything was fine she continued. "This should last you for a little while so I hope you make use of it."
"Poyo!" Kirby chirped. This would do nicely. Kirby took a few steps back and once more opened his mouth wide for the intake of debris. The wind picked up and the entire pile was engulfed by his mouth. As Kirby bloated up with the ammunition Spike and Rarity watched in awe. Despite the amount of stuff that entered Kirby he didn't seem to get much bigger than his current size. And as Kirby turned around to face the market-turned-battlefield Spike came to a realization as to how Kirby brought those gems inside Rarity's home.
Kirby heard retching behind him but didn't pay it much attention. He looked at the scene before him. He noticed that the clone had shrunk down in size once more. They no longer stood at equal height to the ponies but rather they stood about Spike's height. But taking a look at the ponies he that they were in bad shape. Applejack seemed to have trouble standing and Rainbow dash was moving considerably slower in the sky. Pinkie was the only one who seemed to be somewhat okay, but even she seemed to be losing stamina.
"No doubt they had beaten on and left the puddle alone only to get attacked by it while their back was turned." He thought.
While Kirby was busy trying to line up his shot. Spike called out to the trio of ponies.
"Guys come back! Kirby's gonna shoot"! Spike cried out.
The three mares turned to see Kirby with a bloated body and went on the defensive. The clones kept up their assault their attacks growing more and more intense despite their diminutive size. The three were barely avoiding their hammer swings at this point, only just dodging out of the way of the gooey mallets. However they kept going. Each dodge and roll brought the ponies closer to Kirby. And as they grew closer, Kirby's chance to land the hit grew. At last the clones had had enough. They grouped up and stood beside one another. With a chuckled they summoned their hammers once more. Then together they jumped up into the sky, preparing to make the mother of all quakes with their combined might. The ponies watched their ascent with awe.
Kirby face had fixed itself into a glare. He had his shot. With all the force he could muster he spat out a star bullet bigger than the rest. It glowed brilliantly with a blue aura surrounding it. Another smaller star orbited around the larger star. The sight was spectacular and everyone watched with their jaws dropped at it. It was short lived as the star hit its mark. The three clones were hit directly by the bullet. However instead of exploding on impact. the star carried them further upwards. Everyone watched as the star flew further up into the sky. Then, out of no where, it exploded. The clones were thrown away from each other. Despite being so high up everyone on the ground could here their high pitched howls. Then with a final scream of their voice, the three clones blew up, one after another. And as they final scream died out every one watched as blue and purple sparks began to twinkle in the sky. Strangely ( at least to the ponies and Spike ) the sparks all created the letter D.
"D D D?" Rarity asked aloud. "Whatever does that mean?"
"Who cares!?" Rainbow exclaimed, stress catching up to her. "I'm just glad those pains in the flank are finally gone!"
The others could only agree.
After the eventful battle that had transpired, the ponies had decided to take Twilight back to her home. Kirby hitched a ride on Rarity's back while Spike tried to help Applejack carry Twilight. When they reached their destination and stepped inside, everyone except Pinkie Pie was surprised to see that the normally well organized library was in shambles.
"Oh my word!" Rarity exclaimed. "Whatever happened in here?"
Spike took a single look around the room and sighed.
"Twilight must've been studying something." He said at last. "If something grabs her interest, she can get lost in her research. He pointed over to the lab equipment over in the corner. She must've been up all night over there, and guessing by how bad the place looks, she stressed herself big time." Tears began to form in Spike's eyes and he curled up on the floor.
"I've been a bad friend." he sobbed.
Applejack walked up towards the sad drake, and placed a hoof on his head.
"Hey, cheer up Spike." She said, "It wasn't your fault."
Spike glared at the farm pony.
"It is though!" he exclaimed sadly. " The ponies recoiled. Kirby looked down from Rarity's back at Spike.
"Poyo?"
Spike looked back at the ground.
"Last night I remember seeing Twilight on the balcony of the library." He explained, "She seemed to be screaming about something. But instead of helping her, I ran from her! And because of that she stressed herself out trying to study.... whatever she was studying and she's out cold!"
Spike curled up even further, refusing to look at anyone.
Then he felt something soft press against his scales.
"Poyo..."
Kirby had jumped down and given Spike a hug. Spike glanced over to the pink puff. Kirby's eyes were full of worry for his friend. Spike looked Kirby in the eye.
"How are you so nice...." he asked. "Why are you so nice? You don't hate me for what I did?"
Kirby looked up towards the drake.
"You help fwend." Kirby spoke. "You help save udder fwends too." Kirby hugged spike harder.
"Spike nice."
Spike sniffed at the puff answer. Slowly the young drake returned the hug. The ponies tried desperately to keep their mouth closed for fear of ruining the moment by making a sound from the cuteness. Time seemed to go slow for everyone present. Suddenly in an instant, Spike felt something. It didn't feel bad, but he didn't know what to make of it. It felt like something had sparked within him. Then as quickly as the feeling came it was gone. Spike looked down at Kirby.
"Kirby?" He whispered, D-did you feel something?"
Kirby didn't seem to notice Spike's question. He just hugged him harder.
At Kirby's lack of answer, Spike just sighed internally. Perhaps the sadness he felt was just weighing him down. Kirby was trying to make him feel better. Spike let Kirby hug him a a few more moments before he broke the hug.
"Thanks Kirby." he said in a small voice. "I needed that."
"Hey!" Pinkie called out! "I just remembered! This is where that monster came from!"
Everyone turned their heads towards pinkie at the revelation of this new knowledge.
"What?"
Pinkie began her explanation.
"Well, I came to see Twilight today and she seemed SUPER stressed out so I tried to talk to her but I think she might've been upset about me being there but anyways I was about leave when I saw this really weird bubble holding some kind of goo so I went to look at it and it started to bubble really violently and then it turned into that big penguin monster thing and Twilight teleported it into the market and we went down there and we beat it!
At this, everyone was wide eyed. Then everyone present turned towards the sleeping unicorn in question. Applejack looked down in thought before coming up with her decision.
"Now Ah know we should let Twilight get some rest." She began , "But Ah think that maybe we should stay here for now. There's no telling how she'll react when she wakes up, and Ah doubt she'll want to wake up to this." She gestured to the room. Spike and the other ponies silently agreed. She then turned to Kirby.
"And I think speak for everypony when I say that you're gonna get a few questions that need answering."
Kirby only tilted his head with a neutral expression.
The library was soon full of motion. All the ponies had begun setting the library back to its former glory. Rainbow and Pinkie focused on setting the books on the shelves while Rarity and Fluttershy focused on cleaning the ruined parchment and spilled ink around the room. Applejack had brought Twilight up to her room and set the unconscious mare onto her bed, before returning downstairs to help her friends with the clean up.
Kirby simply sat down and watched everyone in action. He was amazed at the teamwork on display, and was mesmerized by the abilities of his friends. He wanted to help but every time he walked up to someone he was promptly moved out of the way and whenever he would voice his complaints, the new ponies would give him a wary eye, while Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike gave him a small smile. He was beginning to wonder if he had done something wrong.
Eventually, the library was put back into shape. Spike surveyed the area. He ran a claw across a desk and put it up to his eye. After inspecting it for a moment, he gave a nod of approval and smiled at everyone.
"Thanks so much guys! OH and you Rarity" He said.
"It ain't nothing Spike." Applejack spoke quickly, preventing the rest of the group from saying anything. She swiftly turned to Kirby, who was looking away from the group of friends. The farm pony's gaze hardened slightly.
"Alright! No more beating 'round the bush." She said after a moment. "Its time for those questions we spoke about earlier." Kirby turned to face Applejack, only to find that all eyes in the room were upon him. Everyone present had a different expression, from worry, to suspicion, to..... joy? Kirby didn't know what to make of it. There was tense silence within the walls of the library.
At last a voice spoke up.
"Alright bucko! What was that thing back in the market!?" Rainbow shouted, zipping up to the pink puff and pointing a hoof into his face.
"Poy!" Kirby yelped. He wasn't expecting Rainbow to throw herself towards him. The puff had flinched so badly from the feint that he toppled onto his back.
Rainbow wasn't deterred. She looked towards the fallen puff with an accusing glare. She was opening her mouth to fire a tirade of questions, when her muzzle was clamped shut with a blue aura of magic.
"That's quite enough for now Rainbow Dash." said Rarity, giving the speedster pegasus a stern glare. Rainbow struggled a bit to open her mouth but soon gave up. Once her struggling ceased, Rarity released her magical restraint.
"Fine!" Rainbow moaned, "But I do think this guy should be able to answer the question. That monster DID know his name. You called it out when.... Kirby, ran towards it remember?"
The ponies nodded, though Rarity and Fluttershy seemed lost in thought and Spike seemed to be shifting in place. The beast HAD shouted Kirby's name. But nopony knew Kirby's origin, and the fact that the beast knew anything about Kirby meant that they had to have had some kind of history. Right?
"Poyo!"
Everyone looked over to Kirby. The puff had righted himself and was now looking around at everyone in the room. Everyone fell back into an uncomfortable silence once more before another voice spoke up. This time it was Spike.
"Rainbow does have a point dude." The drake said reluctantly. "That thing called you out when it saw you. And you did seem a bit spooked when you saw it at first."
Kirby averted his gaze. Rainbows expression hardened.
"So it DOES know something!" She snorted, pawing at the ground aggressively.
"Rainbow stop it!" Applejack chided. "We're not gonna get any answers with you chargin at the poor thing like a bull!"
Rainbow snorted, but backed down. Seeing how things were starting to spiral out of control, Rarity spoke up, turning to her friends.
"Okay so maybe Kirby here does know something about that brutish monstrosity at the market." she said, gesturing over to the downtrodden puff. "But we should approach Kirby with tact and-
"Do you like cupcakes!?"
Everyone turned their attention towards Pinkie. The party pony had somehow produced a cupcake and was holding it inches away from Kirby. At the mention of cake, Kirby's mood changed instantly.
"Kek!" he chirped happily. Then, before anyone could object to Pinkie's shenanigans, Kirby opened his mouth and the cupcake was sucked away, swiftly disappearing into the void of Kirby's mouth. Rainbow quickly flared to life once more at this action.
"See!?" She accused. "It even does that whirlwind thing with its mouth! Exactly like that monster from before!"
Ah hate to agree with Rainbow right now." Applejack spoke up, "But the similarities are pretty strange."
Rarity sighed. Things had gotten out of hoof pretty quickly, and it seemed that Rainbow was holding control of the situation. She'd have to come up with a way of getting the answers that everypony wanted from Kirby while simultaneously keeping the situation from devolving into madness. The fashionista really wished Twilight were awake at the moment.
"Maybe we should ask Kirby small questions first." said a voice.
Everyone's attention shifted towards the voice's owner. Fluttershy, true to her name, shied away immediately from all the attention she was now getting.
"What was that dear? I couldn't quite hear you." Rarity questioned. Any idea would work as long as it kept everything under control.
"Fluttershy mustered up courage.
"W-well, if its alright with you, I think we should ask Kirby smaller things before moving on to the bigger questions." she stuttered.
Rarity thought about Fluttershy's idea for a bit before smiling.
"That sounds like an excellent Idea darling!" She chirped. She then turned towards Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "I trust that this arrangement works for the two of you?"
Applejack thought it over for a moment before nodding in approval while Rainbow begrudgingly agreed with the terms.
"Good!" said Rarity. She turned towards Pinkie who was busy feeding Kirby another cupcake. "Pinkie, dear, could you please stop giving Kirby cupcakes and bring me something to write with?"
"Okie dokie Loki!" Pinkie shouted. In a blur she was gone. Then, almost as quickly as she had gone, she returned with a stack of paper, inkwells, and quills in hoof. She wobbled through the room on her hind hooves, before dropping the pile onto the wooden floor, somehow keeping it all in a neat stack. Everyone who knew Pinkie simply went with the impossible situation. Kirby had been too busy munching on the cupcake to notice the pink pony's antics.
"Thank you Pinkie." Said Raity. Without wasting a moment the unicorn began levitating s few stacks of parchment over to her. She then levitated a quill and daintily dipped it into an inkwell a few times. Her friends looked towards her questioningly.
"What?" She asked. "I'm only going to write down Kirby's answers." Her friends, except for Spike, seemed unconvinced. "It's what Twilight would want!" This seemed to work as her friends as then nodded in understanding. Seeing no other distractions, Rarity turned to Kirby, who had finished savoring his cupcake.
"Alright." She began. "Kirby, dear, where are you from?"
Kirby looked up and jumped happily.
"Dweam Land!" he called out.
"Dweam Land?" Rarity repeated.
Kirby shook his head.
"E'm fwom Dweam Land!" the puff said, trying harder to pronounce the name of his home.
Rarity forced a grin.
"I'm sorry dear, could you speak a little more clearly?" she said, shifting slightly.
Kirby sighed before speaking again.
"I'm... fwom.... Daream....Land." he said slowly.
Rainbow lost patience.
"Okay bub, quit with the baby talk!" she shouted, drawing the attention of everyone. "If aren';t gonna take this seriously, we got other ways of getting you to talk!" She punctuated her threat by throwing her hooves together menacingly.
"Rainbow...!" Rarity chided, through her teeth.
"It's probably doing it on purpose!" Rainbow accused. It's trying to distract us! I'm-
"Kirby are you a boy or a girl?"
Frustration filled Rarity as the attention shifted towards the owner of the voice. Spike was looking at Kirby with full blown curiosity. Rarity sighed at the new interruption, yet she and the others couldn't deny that this would be somewhat useful information to know.
"Boi!" exclaimed Kirby, hopping in place.
The expressions were mixed. Rainbow didn't seem to care about Kirby's gender in the slightest, while everyone else seemed shocked at the revelation. However Spike seemed to glow, Smiling, he struck a pose.
"Ha!" he shouted, "I was right! Spike one, Sweetie Belle, zero!
Rarity decided to ask the drake about that comment later. Levitating the parchment and quill to her face she jotted down the new information upon it.
"Alright then!" She said at last. "Now, onto the next question." She looked at Kirby in the eyes. "Where are you from dear?"
Kirby's expression fell. He'd tried saying it and the one named Rainbow Dash had gotten mad. Maybe he should say it slower?
"Darreeeeeemm LLLaaaannnnndddd." he said, extra slowly.
Rainbow twitched, but did nothing under the watchful gaze of her friend. Rarity, after making sure Rainbow wouldn't do anything rash, turned back to Kirby with a unsure expression.
"Kirby..." she said softly, biting her lip at what she had yet to say. "C-can... Are you.... Do you speak fluent Equestrian?"
Kirby tilted his head in confusion. Equestrian? He was speaking in English wasn't he? At least that's what Tiff called it back at home.
"Nu" he said at last.
"Oh yeah?" Rainbow shouted, shootng up into the air, "Then how can you understand us so well huh?!"
Kirby's gaze hardened slightly. He was starting to dislike Rainbow's attitude. Still, he had to explain himself and did his best attempt.
"Me can't sey wurds well, but know wut teh wurds meen." He said at last, trying his hardest not to mess up his words. "E'm still wearning to speek."
The ponies looked over the puff in surprise. The ran his broken and mispronuced words in their heads before reaching the same conclusion.
"Oh..." said Rarity, feebly. This revelation was shocking. Kirby couldn't speak as well as they could, yet he understood what they said no problem. She didn't know what to think. And judging by her friend's expressions, neither could they. Rainbow Dash in particular seemed to falter a bit before putting on a tough face once more. Yet surprisingly she didn't say anything.
"Well shoot." Applejack said, softly. "Now Ah feel bad suggesting we ask him questions."
"It's alright Applejack." Rarity consoled. "You couldn't have known."
Kirby looked around the room at his crestfallen friends. He didn't know that not being able to speak well would make them sad! He quickly tried to remedy the situation. He placed an arm nub on Rarity's foreleg.
"It Okey!" He said to the white unicorn. Nex Questoon."
It seemed his words didn't help much. Yet despite this Rarity managed to move the conversation along.
"O-Okay then dear." She said at last. She wrote down the new info onto the parchment. She felt uneasy about writing about Kirby as if he were a specimen. Yet she kept her resolve and held on. Before she could ask any questions however, Fluttershy spoke up, asking a question of her own.
"Um, if you don't mind me asking.... how old are you?" she said softly.
Glad to see someone take a step, Kirby didn't hesitate in his answer.
"Fowa!" He said happily.
The quill in Rarity's grip snapped in half.
"You're WHAT!?" she shouted.
Kirby recoiled. Truthfully he didn't know how old he actually was so he just went with his arrival date in Cappy Town for his birthday. Was there something wrong with being four years old?
"Poy?"
"No, no, NO! This simply won't do at all!" Rarity said aloud. "You're pretty much a child! A.... pretty powerful child, but a child nonetheless!"
Rarity wasn't the only one who felt this way. All around the room, the ponies seemed to have any worries they had about the puff grow ten-fold.
Rainbow had reached her limit at this information.
"Okay then." She said slowly. "I think we can all agree that THIS", she gestured to the levitating piece of parchment, "needs to go straight to Princess Celestia."
"I.... I concede Rainbow." Rarity submitted. "Given everything that has happened, I suppose we will need to tell the princess the news. She turned to Spike, who was still reeling at the revelation of Kirby's age.
"Spike?" she asked.
The drake soon shook himself to attention.
"Yes Rarity?
The white unicorn looked towards Kirby and after a moment, let out a sigh.
"Take a letter."
Princess Celestia was sitting within the walls of the Solar Court. She sat uprite upon her cushioned seat as Noble Ponies came and went, requesting an audience with her for one reason or another.
She hated it.
Almost all of the Nobles were petty and rude. They would treat any other members of the Solar Court with disdain and disgust, usually trying to appeal to their ruler as best they could. And usually their requests were horrible.
Who would ever demolish an orphanage to replace it with a pool for rich ponies only!?
Despite this, she still made an effort to smile and treat each pony with respect. Even though some day really tried her patience.
Today had been going as well as the days before it. Celestia was listening to a pony drone on about wanting to increase taxes for "commoners", before a swirl of light pink smoke flew in front of her and materialized into a letter. Smiling at this new outlet she quickly closed the Solar court temporarily, and made her way to her chambers. When she was in the confines of her room she made her way to her bed before unceremoniously plopping down upon it. Unfurling the letter she read its contents.
Dear Princess Celestia.
Yesterday and today have been quite strange. Yesterday, a small pink being by the name of Kirby fell from the sky and landed in the rock fields by Ponyville. Fluttershy and I helped him recover his health and he is currently taking temporary residence in Ponyville. But today, a creature attacked us! It ruined the market! Luckily we managed to defeat the beast. But we are unsure what it was in the first place. To make matters more confusing it somehow knew of Kirby, despite the fact his arrival was only a day prior. I was hoping you would have some knowledge to divulge. Any information helps. We need to have something to help Twilight when she wakes up.
Yours truly -Rarity
The princess looked up from the letter in surprise. Questions raced through her mind without a sign of slowing down. Was Twilight okay? Who was this Kirby? Was everypony else okay down in Ponyvillie?
Before she could think of any more questions, another scroll materialized before her. Levitating the new scroll before her, she read its contents.
PS
Forgive me but I forgot to attach the note we have on Kirby and the beast we had taken down. I hope this helps.
-Rarity
Celestia looked down to see drawings on two sheets of parchment drawn in ink. One depicted a spherical creature. Looking at it, it seemed incredibly cute. Under the drawing was the name "Kirby." The other drawing showed what looked like a penguin. It seemed rather silly, but judging by the word "beast" written under the drawing it was able to decimate the market of Ponyville.
The Solar princess inspected the drawings for a few minutes before turning her head to the notes. She looked them over for a minute but deemed that they weren't too informative. Deciding to get a second opinion on the matter, Celestia charged up her horn and teleported to her sister's chambers.
Luna was fast asleep, snoring rather softly. Celestia looked down at Luna and sighed. Charging up her horn, she cast the strongest soundproofing spell she knew of around the room. Then for good measure she cast it again. When the solar princess was sure that her preparations were complete, she tilted her head towards the sleeping form of Luna
And pricked her with her horn.
There was a rumbling around Canterlot Castle. The ground vibrated rapidly and ponies around Canrterlot began wondering if an earthquake was starting to occur.Eventually though, the vibrations ceased and the ponies went about their day, possibly earthquake forgotten completely.
"What does thou want dear sister?" Luna grouched. Being woken up was certainly not a pleasent feeling to the royal pony, and seeing her sister struggle to hold her laughter was not help matters.
"Oh Luna." Celestia smiled, "Rarity and the other elements have told me that two strange creatures had shown up in Ponyville not to long ago."
Luna snorted.
"Sister, doth thou intend to tell me that you woke us up for such a trivial manner?"
"Well I wouldn't say its trivial." Celestia rebutted, "One of them did manage to destroy the market in Ponyville with little trouble."
Celestia levitated the drawing of the beast to Luna. The lunar princess didn't seem impressed.
"Is that all?" Luna droned.
"Well there was this other non hostile create that appeared their too." Celestia said at last. She levitated the other image to Luna. When the moon princess saw what what was on the parchment, she quickly found her energy, sitting upright almost instantly.
"We've seen this creature!" Luna exclaimed.
Celestia was surprised. "You have?" She asked.
Her younger sister nodded. "Last night in the dream realm, we happened across a dream portal of unusual proportions." Explained Luna, "When we entered it, we found this creature being tormented by a multitude of monstrosities of which we've never seen! They spoke of strange projects and of dark omens." Luna turned away from her older sibling. "Perhaps I should go down there and investigate." she said to herself.
"Don't you mean WE?" Celestia asked playfully. Luna jumped, not expecting her sister to hear her. The solar princess laughed.
"It's alright Luna." she chirped. "We can head to Ponyville as soon as you're ready."
"Then let us not waste any more time!" shouted Luna.
With a flash Luna was out of her bed standing besides her sister in her royal regalia. Nodding towards her sister, they charged their horns full of magic. Then with a flash they teleported to Ponyville.
A moment after the teleportation spell was cast, there was a knock on the door.
"Princess Luna? Princess Luna there's an emergency!" A guard cried out from behind the door.
A passing guardsaw the commotion and rushed up.
"Hey! Whats the problem?"
"There's an emergency at the Crystal Empire! Something strange is going on!" whispered guard #1.
"Whats wrong?"
"Well...." Guard #1 looked around trying to make sure nopony overheard them, "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but according to Princess Cadence, the ground has been turning into...Metal!"
"Metal."
"Yeah Metal! Not just the ground too. Just about everything in the area has been slowly converting into some kind of metal. Thing is we can't tell where its coming from!"
"Have you tried telling Princess Celestia?" asked guard #2
"She wasn't in the day court!" said Guard #1 "It was closed for some reason."
"Ah! Then that probably means she already knows!" said Guard #2, "Usually whenever the princesses close court early, that means something important came up. She probably already got the news."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive!" said Guard #2 earnestly. "Now back to your post."
"Yes sir!" exclaimed Guard #1. The guard soon turned away a briskly trotted back to his original location, confident that everything was under control.
As everyone waited for the princess to respond to the letter, Kirby began poking at Spike. When the puff saw how Spike burned the letter Rarity had him write Kirby was most confused. Spike had then explained that his fire breath was magical in nature and that it could be used as a two way communication method. Kirby was amazed by the idea. and was silently trying to see if Spike's fire could do anything else.
"Hmm? Is something wrong Kirby?" Spike asked.
"Fiyah!" Kirby responded, mimicking Spikes method of fire breathing as best he could. "Pwease?"
Spike looked at the pink puff and shook his head.
"Sorry Kirby, but I can't exactly breath fire all willy nilly inside the library." said the small drake. "If I accidentally burned the tree or one of the books Twilight would kill me!"
Kirby sighed and sat down. Spike looked at his new buddy and smiled.
"Hey cheer up! I'm sure Princess Celestia will send her response pretty soon, and I have to breathe fire for that." Spike told the puff. Seeing Kirby perk up at this, Spike soon found himself boasting a bit. "So you shouldn't have to wait too much longer to witness my amazing fire skills!"
"Poyo!"
The ponies rolled their eyes at Spike's words, but before any of them could speak up a bright light brightened the room, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. Once the light dimmed down, everyone took a glance towards the spot where the light had once been, only to realize that two large ponies were in its place. The girls and Spike gasped, throwing their faces towards the ground at the arrival of these two newcomers. Kirby on the other hand eyed the two with curiosity.
"P-princess Celestia! Princess Luna! We weren't expecting you to drop in so suddenly!" Rarity choked. The others murmured in agreement.
"Its quite alright Rarity." said Celestia. "Luna and I just wanted to see what manner of creature we may be dealing with here."
"Well if you want to see it" Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Its right over there!" She pointed behind the two royal ponies with a glare. The two princess turned around to see Kirby staring at them. The three stared at each other for what seemed like ages. Celestia was surprised to see what Kirby looked like firsthoof, while Luna seemed to eye the puff for any ill intentions. Kirby stared at the two with equal intensity. Though he was looking at them both, he stared more towards Luna. He could swear that he had seen her before, yet he couldn't quite place it. At last Celestia made the first move.
"Greetings" The solar alicorn said in her most regal voice. "I am Princess Celestia, one of the Royal sisters that rule over Equestria and ruler of the Day." She took a look at Kirby to see that he still had what she thought was a neutral expression.
"And I am Princess Luna" the moon princess spoke up, never taking her eyes off of Kirby. "The other royal sister to rule over Equestria and the ruler of the night."
Kirby looked between the two regal ponies before thumping his body enthusiastically, a ring of stars appearing from the action that disappeared almost as soon as they came.
"Hiii! Name Kirby!" he said.
The girls gasped at Kirby's attitude towards the Princesses. These two weren't ordinary ponies! These two were responsible for raising the sun and the moon! Everypony - nay - everyTHING on the planet knew of this fact! How could he show such blatant disregard to the task that these untouchable goddesses-!!
"Nice to meet yuu!"
Kirby held out his small pink nub of an arm out towards the princesses. The two regal ponies looked at it, then to each other, before finally putting their hooves out to shake Kirby's arm. First Celestia, then Luna. The entire time the girls were in a shocked silence. Spike could only look at them and sigh, wondering why they still kept the princesses on a pedestal after all this time.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Kirby." Said Celestia, now sounding less regal and much more friendly. She turned to face the other equine occupants in the room. "Now, what exactly has happened here today?" Celestia then realized that a pony was missing from the group. "And where is Twilight?"
"Ah took her upstairs to her room." stated Applejack. "We were fighting that monster Rarity told you about when Kirby did some weird thing with his mouth. We all saw it, but Twilight passed out from the sight."
"And we've been trying to get answers outta him but he won't say anything!" Rainbow hastily interjected, much to her friend's annoyance. Celestia raised an eyebrow at this while Luna scrutinized Kirby, eyeing him all over.
"I see" Celestia said at last. "So Kirby is the reason Twilight is currently unconscious?"
Rainbow was about to answer, but Spike quickly beat her to the punch.
"Yeah, but he didn't do it on purpose!" The young drake hastily spat out. Rarity and Fluttershy seemed grateful for the quick save, while Rainbow Dash glared suspiciously at the trio. Celestia had barely begun to open her mouth to voice another question when Rarity spoke up.
"Your highness, our dear Kirby here has a...rather unique ability. He can open his mouth and create gusts of wind that draw in whatever they catch. Twilight saw this action and fainted. The poor dear's been out cold since."
"Have you tried asking Kirby about any possible reasons for this happening?" The alabaster alicorn asked.
The everypony's expression except for Rainbow's fell. Fluttershy explained the situation to the princesses.
"So he cannot speak Equestrian very well, but he can understand our words and meanings clearly?"
"Y-yes your highness." Fluttershy squeaked softly, hiding behind her mane.
Celestia turned her gaze to the floor, falling into deep thoughts. All eyes fell upon her, wondering what she was thinking about. Eventually, the alicorn looked up and turned to her younger sister.
"Luna? What do you suggest we do.?" she asked.
Luna turned back to Kirby, the puff gazing deeply into her eyes. After a moment she turned back to her sister and gave her response.
"I suppose we could enter his personal dreamscape to see if he has any ill intent." the lunar princess said hestitantly. "But that depends if he is willing to cooperate." Spike caught on to her hesitation.
"Princess Luna?" he asked slowly, "What would you have to do in order to do that? And how exactly would looking into Kirby's dreams tell if he's good or not?" Luna sighed softly.
"Normally" she began, "Looking into one's dreams wouldn't exactly display their character and nature as a dream can take many forms and is very easily influenced. A minuscule event from the current day can influence or even create the foundation of an entire dream." Luna faced towards the group. "However, using my magic, I can nullify these outside influences on the dreamscape and allow the mind to use the character of a pony as the foundation instead." Luna looked towards Spike who still seemed a bit hesitant. " And as for what little Kirby needs to do, he just needs to be asleep." Spike relaxed at this.
"So we just need to get this guy asleep?" Rainbow asked, now hovering in the air and pointing lazily towards the pink ball. Luna looked away.
"Correct, though that depends on if he wishes to do so. Doing such a thing against ones will could have some... repercussions, to put it mildly." answered Luna, facing Kirby once more.
Kirby was deep in thought, though one would never know based on his expression. So they wanted him to sleep so they could see what his dreams were like? It didn't seem too bad in theory, though he had to wonder what would happen. He also couldnt shake the feeling that he knew this particular pony from somewhere. Regardless he eventually, looked up towards Luna and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Okay!"
Luna visibly relaxed. She now had Kirbys cooperation.
"Very well" the lunar pony stated, charging her horn with magic. "I shall cast a light sleeping spell upon you. Once you're asleep, I shall enter your dream." Luna hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure you wish to go through with this?"
Kirby nodded. If it would help ease his friend's worries then he would do anything!
Luna smiled and her horn glowed slightly brighter. Kirby found himself surrounded by a dark blue aura, and being lifted slightly upwards. It felt nice.
Really nice.
Incredibly amazingly nice....
The pink puff felt like he was wrapped in the warmest of blankets, hugging his entire being.
Yet it felt so right, soothing his body and putting him at ease. In no time at all, Kirby felt his eyes grow heavy. As he drifted off he felt a slight weight atop his head that wasn't there a moment prior. But he didn't have the energy to dwell on the matter, all he wanted to do at the moment was sleep.
Everyone present watched as Kirby succumbed to Luna's sleep spell. They were surprised when Kirby suddenly sprouted a spotted cyan night cap.
"W-where did the hat come from?" stuttered Spike.
Luna seemed disinterested with the spontaneously appearing headgear and focused her attention to the now sleeping Kirby.
"Where the headwear came from is of no importance." She said, sternly. "I need to concentrate for the time being, so I ask to not be disturbed for the moment."
Celestia, the girls, and Spike nodded. They simply backed away from the lunar princess as she charged more magic into her horn. Closing her eyes, Luna felt the familiar feeling of entering the Dream Realm. Opening her eyes to the familiar endless space, Luna's attention once again fell upon a star shaped dream portal.
"Perhaps I can get some answers." she thought aloud.
Bracing herself for whatever could be on the other side, she flew into the portal.
When her vision cleared, Luna was greeted by large fields and rolling hills. The sky was blue and the grass was a brilliant shade of green. Looking farther out, she could see a large mountain with a small castle at it's peak. Squinting her eyes she could see that the castle inexplicably seemed to be glaring at her.
"That... is quite a sight." She said to herself.
"Eh, it could do without the evil eyes."
Luna, startled, whirled around looking for the source of the voice.
"Um, down here?"
Luna looked down to find Kirby, who was standing directly in front of her with a look of concern on his face. Luna didn't know what to say. She was the Princess of the Night! Keeper of dreams! How had this being in front of her manage to sneak up and startle her like this, in her element no less?
"Uh, are you alright?" the pink puff asked.
Quickly recomposing herself, Luna answered the question.
"Yes little one, I am fine." Luna looked down at the puff, looking over his body to see if anything was off. So far nothing seemed malicious about the puff, though that held true in the real world so it wasn't much. But before anything else could be said, a bell rang in the distance. Kirby seemed excited if the grin he wore was any indication.
"Oh boy! Snack time!" he exclaimed. Kirby quickly ran off into the distance, leaving a rather stunned princess far behind.
"H-hey!" Luna shouted, racing to catch up with the puff. When Kirby came into view again, Luna found him sitting on a picnic blanket, munching on various foods with other creatures that she did not recognize... except for one. Wings flaring to her sides, she noticed that the largest creature among the bunch was the creature that Rarity claimed attacked Ponyville. Yet, on closer inspection, there were subtle differences with the the beast that don't match the sketch. Luna slowed down on her approach to the blanket. The other creatures hardly seemed to acknowledge her existence, but Kirby noticed her approach.
"Hey!" he called out. "Wanna join? The food's delicious!" The puff gestured to the spread of food upon the blanket. Luna declined, keeping a wary eye on the beast that was currently ripping into some sort of meat on a bone. After a while she turned her attention back to Kirby.
"He seems so.... carefree." She thought, "It's as if nothing is a burden to him." Luna looked over to the the penguin like creature once more. "Yet he's casually having a picnic with this creature which was said to have attacked our subjects mercilessly." She grimaced, realizing that she would have to manipulate the dreamscape around her if she wanted more information. After all, she had only scratched the surface. Charging her magic, Luna began to pull from the puffs mind, looking for something that would cause strife. "I don't like it, but I'll have to see what he does when faced with an adversary." The sky grew dark, Kirby and the other creatures looked upwards. When Luna looked up, she gasped. In the sky was the massive abomination from Kirby's previous dream. Luna watched as Kirby's expression changed from happiness to fear.
"S-s-star Dream!?" the puff squeaked. backing away slowly. Luna frowned, finding the name rather inappropriate, given what the behemoth was doing to him.
Then everything happened at once.
Large metal towers erected themselves across the dreamscape in the blink of an eye. Within mere moments of their completion, a blue wave erupted from the base of them, before turning into an ever expanding sheet of metal, consuming the lush landscape and replacing it with new metallic land. Kirby watched in horror before looking up and yelping.
Luna turned her attention towards the puff, before looking at what had his attention. Countless numbers of strange mechanical golems came raining down from the the behemoth, now known as "Star Dream" to Luna. She watched as the events unfolded around her. Then she heard wicked laughter. Turning around she saw Kirby was facing off against, the beast. However it had changed. It looked far more ferocious and was a dead ringer for Rarity's sketch from earlier.
"It would seem that something has happened to the creature to turn it into this." Luna thought. She watched the battle with interest, watching as the puff did his best to avoid the attacks of the monster.
"You aren't Dedede!" Kirby shouted out, dodging a swing from the beast's mallet. A star was left behind from the failed attack. Inhaling swiftly, Kirby inhaled it and shot it back towards the clone, though it was much bigger than it should have been. The malicious clone was reduced to nothing almost immediately. Luna was surprised to see such a method of attack, but she had seen enough to realize that the beast that attacked Ponyville and Kirby were not partners in crime. But the puff still didn't seem to relax. Turning back towards the chaos, he charged away towards Star Dream.
Luna was surprised but charged after him, unsure of what would occur.
Everyone watched as Luna stood silent and unmoving. Her eyes were closed and her horn was glowing dimly. The only motions made by the Lunar alicorn, was her mane gently blowing in the ethereal winds. Kirby on the other hand, was snoring softly, a small stream of bubbles floating from him as he snoozed away. Most of the girls and even Celestia found their hearts melting from the adorable sight. Spike and Rainbow Dash however weren't so quick to fall into cuteness overload.
"Hmph. It may be cute, but I don't trust it for a second." Rainbow muttered. Turning her attention away from the sleeping puff, she turned towards the stairwell. Flapping her wings she flew upstairs and towards the other sleeping being within the Library. Twilight was still knocked out, snoring gently upon her bed. Rainbow sighed and looked out the window. It was getting rather late at this point. The sun was setting, and princess Luna hadn't returned from Kirby's dreams to tell of his intentions. The pegasus grunted in annoyance. First some monster attacks Ponyville, then this pink puff caused Twilight to pass out. Sure it had helped defeat, the monster in the end, but it still irked Rainbow to no end.
"I'm willing to bet that all this happened because of him." She mused. Looking back towards her sleeping friend, she sat down upon the floor, thinking about what Kirby. Both he, and the monster could make tornado like winds come from their mouths. Rainbow had struggled to fly against it despite her being one of the best, if not THE best, fliers in Equestria.
Then there was the fact that the beast knew Kirby's name. Obviously that meant they knew each other, which meant that they had to have come from the same place. Combining that to the fact that the beast could apparently put almost anything in its mouth and Kirby could do the same, Rainbow came to the conclusion that whatever they were, they were probably related in some way.
Rainbow's eyes narrowed.
Perhaps..... similarly to a certain pest that had attacked Ponyville once before.
Thinking about Kirby and the beast in an entirely new light, Rainbow Dash began trot back down the stairs.
Luna had finally caught up to Kirby. She had to give the puff credit, despite his appearance, he was surprisingly swift. Looking up towards the darkened sky, she saw Star dream floating in place, otherworldly lights flowing across it's massive body. Then, without warning, it began to turn. Luna watched as Kirby tensed, looking ready to combat whatever was happening. Then the shiny metallic surface seemed to give way to something more flesh like, despite the silver coloration. Luna was expecting a multitude of horrible abominations, a creature that could send fear into the hearts of even the bravest and mightiest of warriors. What she got, was the face of a cat. Luna scoffed. This was what the puff was afraid of? She could understand the strange golems and the ever changing ground. But what was before her didn't seem scary, it looked ridiculous.
Then Star Dream meowed.
Luna shouted in surprise as the entire dreamscape was suddenly altered against Kirby's will. She tried to use her magic to keep things from devolving further but to her shock and horror, she found that her magic was actively being resisted.
Whatever this "Star Dream" was, it certainly held a strong hold on Kirby's mind, and it was shown to be immensely powerful. Too powerful. Luna struggled to keep everything under control, her horn glowing brightly and letting off sparks. Star dreams eyes grew bright, and Luna felt the resistance she faced grow even stronger. But the moon princess wouldn't have it. Luna concentrated, letting off more and more power, her horn glowing brighter and brighter. Eventually she had to shut her eyes, from the light of her own horn, but she kept pushing. The resistance grew weaker, and weaker. Then suddenly it gave way, letting Luna's magic surge forwards. Star Dream, the golems, and the strange towers vanished instantly. The ground was reverted back into lovely green grass and the beauty of the dreamscape was restored.
Luna slumped to the newly restored ground, feeling more tired than she felt she should. She now understood why Kirby was afraid of Star Dream. What she had witnessed seemed to indicate it could bend and alter reality on a whim, similar to Discord but on a much larger, and more destructive scale.
"Anypony would be afraid of such power." She thought to herself. "But surely this "Star Dream" is just a manifestation of a fear. Such a thing couldn't possibly exist."
"Hey!"
Luna turned towards the voice. Kirby was pointing directly at her, a look of surprise etched on his face.
"I remember now! I saw you in a dream!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know you were real!"
Luna chuckled. "While I am in fact a real being, little one, we are currently inside your dreams at this very moment."
Kirby tilted his head in confusion. "W-wait? This is a dream?" the puff asked tentatively. Luna simply nodded. Kirby looked at his surroundings for a moment. Then his memories came flooding back to him all at once.
He had made new friends.
The ground hadn't been metal until now.
Mount Dedede was in the distance yet it hadn't been before.
"I-I'm dreaming." he said softly. Then he began running around the land with newfound excitement.
"I'm dreaming!" he shouted. He began to run in circles, taking in his surrounding in a new light. "This is amazing!"
Luna watched the puff with amusement. After a moment she cleared her throat, gaining the puffs attention.
"Now now little one. I know you are probably excited but I must some questions." said the lunar alicorn. Kirby nodded eagerly.
"Ok!" he chirped cheerfully and he plopped down onto the grass. Luna couldn't help but smile a bit at Kirby's attitude.
"Alright, where do you come from little one?" She asked.
"I'm from Dreamland!" replied Kirby. He began to look around his dream. "This whole dream looks just like it!"
Luna took a glance at her surroundings once more.
"I don't recognize this place at all little one." Luna said at last. "My sister an I have been across Equestria and beyond, and I've never seen a place such as this." She turned back towards Kirby. "May I ask, where on Planet Equis does this quaint kingdom you hail from reside?" The alicorn charged up her horn and summoned a globe. It rotated slowly, letting Kirby see the entirety of the planet that he was currently on. But looking at the globe itself, the puff knew that he couldn't point out his home here. Kirby frowned at this. He really was on an entirely different planet.
"Actually, my home wouldn't be here." said the puff. "Dreamland is on another planet."
Luna frowned at Kirby's words.
"Now isn't the time for jesting little one." She lightly chided.
"I'm serious." Kirby insisted. "I come from Dreamland, which is on Planet Popstar." He pointed to the globe. "That doesn't look like Popstar at all."
Luna glared at Kirby, staring into his eyes. Kirby looked back with much less intensity. After a while, Luna sighed. She would go with the story for now.
"Very well" She groaned softly. "My next question. The elements have told my sister and I that a beast attacked Ponyville today." Luna's horn began to glow. The globe that had remained floating began to shift before changing into a larger version of Rarity's sketch of the Dedede clone. Luna pointed a hoof towards the sketch. "You were having lunch with this creature within the confines of your dream as if you were friends, yet not moments later you were trading blows with it. I do not wish to make assumptions of the matter, but this is does not paint a clear picture, and certainly puts you as a potential threat." Luna stomped her hoof onto the ground. "I require an explanation."
Kirby looked towards the drawing and quickly connected the dots.
"That thing and King Dedede are two different things." He huffed. Luna arched an eyebrow at this.
"So this is your King?" she asked, pointing towards the sketch. Kirby shook his head.
"No, that's just some phony that someone made to hurt me." he said. "The guy at the picnic blanket with the red robes is what the real Dedede looks like."
"I... see." Luna said softly. "Tell me... why exactly would anypony want to hurt you? I'll admit you do have some battle prowess, but I fail to see what anypony would have to gain from it. You don't seem like much of a warrior."
"Actually, I'm the one who keeps my planet safe from danger!" Kirby said happily. "Whenever there's trouble, I'm there to help!"
Luna gave a slight nod. Kirby's supposed willingness to help others, was a good trait.
"That is quite noble of you little Kirby." She said. "But tell me, you seemed to be okay facing that... replica, but you seemed to cower at... Star Dream, was it? Could you tell me about it?" Luna leaned forwards. Though Kirby wasn't one of her subjects, she still wanted to know more about Star dream so she could help Kirby with whatever fear that he have.
Kirby shivered.
"Star Dream...." He the puff began. "Star Dream... is a planet sized computer. It was made to act the same way another one of it's kind was." Kirby looked downwards. "But I think Star Dream's maker made a mistake or something building it, because when he tried to turn it on..." Kirby teared up a bit. Then he felt something soft drape aaround him. Looking up he saw that the Princess had covered him with one of her wings.
"I...It's okay if you do not wish to continue with the tale little one." Luna consoled. Kirby sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Poyo. I-i mean... I'm fine." the puff stumbled. Kirby took in a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. He began to tell Luna the rest of the story. How a corrupt business man created Star Dream and lost control of not only his creation, but his entire being as well. Once he was finished, Kirby turned away sadly.
"The last thing I remember was that I was about to destroy Star Dream, but then it used the Black Hole attack, and that's where I can't recall anything. I just woke up in Fluttershy's house feeling horrible." Kirby concluded. He kicked the dirt on the ground idly. At this point he didn't know what he would do. As he thought about his predicament, Luna had thoughts of her own.
It was clear that Kirby wouldn't threaten the ponies of Equestria, at least not intentionally. He had turned out to be kinder and more considerate than most ponies she knew. However, his outrageous story seemed to suggest that he was young, and that he really didn't understand the gravity of the situation he was in. But his tale had left him so sad, that she couldn't find it in her to accuse him of anything. It certainly didn't help that he was admittedly one of the cutest things that she had ever seen.
Taking her mind away from thoughts of Kirby in tears, she began to delve into the other part of the information she had obtained. She didn't know what to make of Star Dream. The idea of a computer of that scale and power was absurd! Equestrian computers were barely usable. They were indeed massive and took up a whole room. Only the richest of ponies could even attempt to purchase one. But those paled in comparison to Star Dream's supposed size. Luna would have chalked it up as Kirby having a fear of technology, if his story didn't depict him going into space, aboard some massive advanced airship to battle it. Luna kept trying to wrap her head around it, looking for some sort of reason or rhyme to the puff's tale, but she couldn't find anything that made sense. After what seemed like an eternity she gave up. Looking for something else and leaving her thoughts for later, she spotted Kirby looking at her with worry.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Little Kirby." Luna began. "I thank you for your cooperation." Luna stood up and began charging her horn with magic.
Kirby smiled.
"It's no problem!" he chirped.
Luna gave him a small smile, before closing her eyes. Her horn emitted a bright light that began to expand rapidly. Soon everything in the dreamscape became a void of white, before disappearing entirely.
Kirby opened his eyes. He felt incredibly drowsy though he could swear that he was full of energy not too long ago. Suddenly he snapped to attention, realizing the events that had transpired. He quickly hopped off of his stomach and onto his feet. Looking around he saw that the ponies was talking to Princesses. Though he couldn't see all of their faces, they seemed to be relieved about something. Curious, Kirby made a step forwards before feeling that something was off. Feeling his head, he felt something soft. Removing the offending object from his head, he found that his Sleep Cap had been summoned. Kirby was confused. He hadn't brought it out, nor did he eat anything that would grant him the ability. Deciding not to dwell on it, he place the cap into his mouth and swallowed it. With nothing else to distract him, he made his way over to the group.
"And I can safely saythat he is of no threat to anypony." said a regal voice. Kirby heard the group let out a collective sigh, though he could swear he could hear grumbling coming from within the group.
"Hi!" He called out, waving towards the ponies. The smaller pnoies flinched and turned towards Kirby. Kirby jumped back, not expecting the sudden movement. The girls sighed when they realized who it was. Spike poked his head from behind the group, before walking up towards the pink puff.
"Well dude. It seems like the princesses have given you the ok!" He exclaimed. Seeing Kirby's confused expression he clarified himself. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna said that its alright for you to live in Ponyville!"
Kirby jumped up happily. Though he wasn't really concerned with having a place to stay, the potential issue had been taken care of anyway. That was reason enough to be happy in Kirby's mind.
Suddenly there was a large burst of confetti. Kirby was taken by surprise as Pinkie Pie appeared from seemingly nowhere and scooped him up into her hooves.
"Oh boy! That means I've gotta throw you a Welcome to Ponyville Party!" the party pony exclaimed. We could have games, dancing, music, food, more games, more music, decorations-!"
"Food! Food!" Kirby shouted with excitement, breaking away from Pinkie. Rarity and Spike backed up slightly, looking towards the ground nervously at Kirby's behavior. Rainbow Dash caught this.
"Is something wrong Rarity?" she asked, looking towards the fashionista with a slight glare. Rarity flinched slightly. Rainbow noticed but said nothing about it.
"No dear nothing is wrong." Rarity said just a little too quickly. "I just, wasn't expecting Kirby to be so excited about the prospect of getting something eat. That's all." The white unicorn forced a smile.
Rainbow Dash wasn't the Element of Honesty, but she could tell that Rarity was definitely hiding something and it involved Kirby. Turning to look at him, she found that he was still bouncing around chanting "food" and he didn't seem to be slowing down. The puff's behavior made her believe her theory more and more. She didn't exactly have any evidence to prove it, though in time she figured that she could bring down the hammer and show her friends what was up.
"Well my little ponies I do believe Luna and I must return to Canterlot." Celestia spoke up. She turned to look at Kirby. Celestia smiled at the elated puffball. "I hope to see you more in the future." She chuckled. "Perhaps under better circumstances next time."
"I agree dear sister." said Luna. "This has certainly been an interesting visit, though I do hope next time will be more... casual."
The two sisters began charging their horns, preparing to make the long-distance teleport. The ponies waved towards the princess before a flash filled the room. When everyone opened their eyes the princesses were gone.
Spike turned to Kirby who had finally calmed down. Spike simply smiled at the puff's antics.
"Well Kirby, we have a full day tomorrow. And I'm sure you'll want to explore Ponyville." the young drake said.
Kirby nodded.
"Well then. Tomorrow, I can show you around town!" Spike gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, I can show you better than I could last time, since it'll be daytime and all." He stumbled.
"Poyo! Can't wayat to C!"
Spike simply laughed.
"Welp, its good to know that you ain't some dangerous vandal or something running around Ponyville." Began Applejack "But it's gotten mighty late, and Ah need to get back to the farm."
Kirby turned towards the nearest window and saw that the moon had risen. There was barely any sunlight left. How long had he been out?
"I must agree with Applejack." said Rarity. "Sweetie Belle is probably home by now and is probably wondering what happened today."
"Oh dear, I should probably head back and see if the animals need anything. Angel must be positively famished!" worried Fluttershy.
One by one the ponies began to leave the Library and head home. Rarity and Fluttershy offered to take Kirby in since he could now officially live in Ponyville, but Kirby declined, pointing towards Spike to get his message across. The two nodded and left the Library.
Rainbow Dash was, surprisingly to Spike, the last to leave. She simply hovered in the air above Kirby, glaring harshly at him. Kirby looked at the rainbow maned pegasus with confusion and a bit of sadness. Did he do something to offend her? Rainbow hovered there for a minute before snorting and flying out the door.
"Gee I wonder what's up with her?" Questioned Spike. The young drake turned towards Kirby, then looked around the room until his eyes fell upon the closet. Spike made his way over and opened it up, pulling out a sleeping bag. "Well since you're staying here you'll need this." Spike gave Kirby the sleeping bag. Kirby looked at it for a moment before placing it on the floor. He jumped onto it and made himself comfortable before drifting off to sleep. Spike smiled. Reducing the light within the room, Spike made his way back up the stair to his basket. He turned around to the sleeping form of Kirby before shutting the door.
With the door closed, Spike was greeted with a soft snoring. Twilight was still sleeping away upon her bed. Spike frowned. Making his way over to her sleeping for, the drake looked over her.
"Hey...." He began, "I know you can't hear me right now cause you're asleep, but I wanted to say.... I'm... sorry I wasn't there for you." A lone tear fell from his eye and hit the wooden paneling. He gave Twilight a light hug, before making his way towards his basket and curled up. Stifling a yawn, Spike fell asleep soon fell asleep within the confines of his basket, ready to take on the adventures of a new day.
A bright flash filled the throne room. When the light faded it revealed the two Royal Sisters standing in all their glory.
"Well then Luna" said Celestia. "That was quite the event wasn't it?"
"Indeed" agreed Luna, "Today has been quite the ordeal. "This "Kirby" has given me much to think about."
"Really? Was there something within his dreams that caught your interest?" Questioned Celestia. Luna had given Kirby the all clear. Was there more to the story?
Luna hesitated.
"Well..." Luna paused. "Kirby certainly has some interesting..... fears I suppose. I've never seen such things in my entire lifetime." She turned away from her older sibling. "And though I deemed him safe to be around our subjects, I don't think he's all there. He claims to be from another planet Tia."
"That... is indeed quite ridiculous." Celestia said softly.
"He had an entire story to back it up too!" continued Luna. "He is indeed a kind soul, but he genuinely believes his delusions.
"Are they truly that bad though?" asked Celestia.
"Why don't I tell you what he told me, and I shall let you judge the tale for yourself." the moon princess deadpanned.
And with that she began to tell Celestia everything that she had witnessed within Kirby's dreams.
Twilight woke up with a groan. She felt absolutely horrible. She had had a nightmare of a scale that she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy. She had been a witness to a multitude of strange anomalies that she could barely begin to comprehend. What made it so much worse was the fact that the anomalies weren't that intimidating in appearance. It was almost like trying to study Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense" all over again.
"But now that horrible nightmare is over." She thought as she made her way to the bathroom. As she straightened herself up, she laughed at how absurd dreams could be sometimes. Once she was certain that she looked presentable, she returned to her room to fins Spike snoring in his basket. Celestia's sunrise shown beautifully through the windows, and as Twilight gazed at it's glory she felt that today would be an absolutely wonderful day. Humming a merry tune, she began to trot downstairs.
"I think I'll prepare breakfast this time." The lavender unicorn chirped. "I just feel like today's such a great day.
As Twilight neared the bottom of the stairs, she saw something she didn't expect. There on the floor was a sleeping bag. As far as she was aware, she hadn't made any plans for a sleepover. There was no need for this to be out at all. Twilight made her way towards the sleeping bag, but as she drew closer she noticed something else was amiss. The bag was moving.
Something was inside the sleeping bag.
Twilight was worried. Had somepony broken in and slept here last night? Lighting up her horn with a light stun spell. She walked up to the sleeping bag as quietly as she could. Once she was up close to it she reached a hoof out and yanked the bag, firing off the spell as she did so. A round pink form fell out of the bag and rolled away, emitting a yelp of surprise. Twilight, having expecting a pony of some kind, missed her mark. The stun spell dissipated upon contact with the floor. Twilight turned her attention to the pink object on the ground. For some reason, her fur stood on end just by the sight of it.
Then it began to move.
Twilight flinched back as the pink ball slowly rolled itself over. Two pink nubs were on either side of the creature, while two larger red ones were on top of it. Twilight was still confused. What was it? Why did the sight of it make her feel so uneasy?
The creature mumbled, before one if its pink nubs rubbed its front. It rolled over to the side, reorienting itself. It now had the larger red nubs on the bottom. The being opened its eyes and looked at Twilight with confusion.
Twilight remembered.
She began to shake in place and broke into a light sweat. She was still dreaming. She had to be. Nothing else could explain why she was seeing what she was currently seeing. She gave a slight chuckle and flared up her horn. Placing a small aura of magic upon her foreleg she collapsed it with a bit more effort than she really needed. Twilight yelped at the sharp pain, shaking her foreleg vigorously. Then comprehension struck her. Whipping around to face the offending creature she stared deep into its lidded eyes.
"No..."
Twilight began to slowly back away. This wasn't a dream. It never was a dream. It all really happened.
"No!"
The creature got up and tilted its head. Or was it its whole body? How can it move its body like that!?
"NO!"
The being looked around in a daze before wiping its eyes once again. Then it spotted her. Twilight's breath hitched. They stood there, staring into each others eyes. The anomaly never broke its gaze. Then it smiled.
Spike awoke with a jump. Unholy shrieking was coming from the lower level of the library and the empty bed beside him left no guesses to who it was. Stumbling out of his basket, he hurried down the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. As he bounded off of the bottom step he found Twilight hyperventilating against the wall, staring at a confused Kirby.
"T-Twilight!" Spike called out. "Calm down! Breathe!"
The sight of her assistant calmed the unicorn down slightly, but not enough to disregard Kirby. Wasting no time, Twilight teleported just in front of Spike's position, startling the drake. Twilight shakily widened her stance to look imposing, staring straight at Kirby with the best glare she could muster.
"S-stay back!" She stuttered "I'm Princess Celestia's personal student and I graduated top of my class at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns! I know more spells than you could ever imagine, all able to take you down!"
Kirby tilted his head in confusion. The unicorn before him seemed pretty spooked. He took a glance around the room to see if anything was around, but as far as he was aware the only ones in the room were Spike, the pony in front of him, and himself.
"Poyo?" he said, taking a small step forwards.
Twilight recoiled a bit, lighting her horn up with magic on instinct.
Spike, seeing that things could get ugly real fast, rounded Twilight and got in front of her.
"Heeey Twilight!" He started, grinning nervously, "I see you've met my new friend!" Spike raised a claw and pointed over to Kirby. "Twilight this is Kirby." He then turned to face Kirby and pointed his claw towards the bewildered Twilight. "Kirby this is Twilight."
Kirby looked at the unicorn with his usual look for a moment before grinning, giving an enthusiatsic
"Hi!"
Twilight just stood there, unmoving. Her mind was firing an endless stream of questions, but she couldn't move her mouth to voice them. Eventually she fell backwards, plopping down onto the wooden floor, staring into nothing. Spike had befriended the creature. The unknown creature. The unknown creature that could shoot stars from its mouth with enough force to destroy another creature. Her mane started to frizz out of place, effectively rendering the time spent grooming it pointless. Twilight didn't notice however, and if she did she wouldn't care.
There was a creature in her home she knew nothing about aside from the fact that it was potentially lethal! And Spike had called it a friend!?
"Friend!? What do you mean "Friend?!" Twilight sputtered at last, catching Spike and Kirby off guard with her sudden volume. "We know next to nothing about whatever that thing is! There's too much at stake!"
Spike was distraught. He expected there to be a few complications when it came to Kirby meeting Twilight for the first time seeing how she was a mare of science, but he hadn't known that she'd be so against him.
"But Twilight!" Spike pleaded, "Kirby is okay! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were here last night and confirmed that he isn't dangerous!"
At the mention of the Princesses names Twilight stopped. Princess Celestia and Luna had been at the Library?
"Spike tell me everything that happened yesterday." The unicorn demanded.
Spike rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. He then began to recap the events Twilight had missed when she passed out from seeing Kirby shoot a star from his mouth. Twilight listened to every detail, though she never took her eyes off of the pink puff, who was staring at her in confusion.
"Then i went to bed and you woke me up with your screaming. That should be about everything!" Spike finished. He glanced at Twilight, who was still glaring at Kirby. The tension within the room was immense and it seemed like someone would break at any moment.
Everything was disrupted a moment later when a window shattered and a blur came flying through it's remains.
Twilight, Spike, and Kirby barely had time to react when a loud "thud" resonated around the library, books tumbling off of the shelves soon after. In mere seconds, the neat and tidy library was reduced to a disorderly pile of books and paper. When the chaos settled down, the group pulled themselves out of the pile only to find that another pony had joined them. Twilight grunted in annoyance at the new arrival.
"Rainbow Dash!" she chided, "Why must you always fly through my windows! Those aren't exactly cheap to replace!"
Rainbow was still shaken from her crash landing not to mention she wasn't usually up this early, so Twilight's question barely registered in her mind. Shaking her head to reorient herself, Rainbow pulled the rest of her body out of the mass of books and hovered over Twilight.
"Twlight!" she nearly yelled, "Thank goodness you're awake! I really need to talk to you about-"
The rest of Rainbow's words died in her mouth. The speedster pegasus had finally noticed that Kirby was in the room along with Spike. She scowled at thew pink puff a bit before turning her attention back to Twilight.
"Actually I think we should talk upstairs for a bit, I hope you don't mind too much." Dash said quickly.
Twilight wasn't given time to respond. Rainbow swooped down and shoved Twilight back upstairs in a matter of moments, leaving Spike and Kirby alone downstairs. Spike was in shock at what had just happened before he sighed.
"Great!" the drake sulked, "All that hard work getting the library straightened out, and Rainbow ruins it in record time!" Slumping down, the young dragon began to slowly trudge down the book pile, picking up a few as he went and placing them onto the shelves.
Kirby watched as Spike unhappily began re-shelving the books of the library. He approached the drake slowly and poked him on the back.
"Poyo?"
Spike turned to face the pink puff. Anyone with eyes could see that the drake was tired, but not from sleep exhaustion. His eyes showed boredom and sadness, and a longing for something more than just the walls of the library. He wanted to do something. He didn't get many days to do what he pleased, and if he did it usually revolved around work of some kind. It was a tiring life, being Twilight's assistant, but it was almost all he knew. He yearned for a change and to someone like Kirby, it was easy to see.
"Spike okay?" the puff asked softly, frowning a bit.
Seeing Kirby's worried expression, Spike put on the best smile he could muster.
"I'll be fine Kirby" he sighed sadly. The drake looked around him before looking back to Kirby. "I know I said that I'd give you a tour around Ponyville today, but seeing how much a mess was made just now, I think you'll have to go by yourself."
Kirby looked a bit upset, but Spike felt that it was probably for the best. After all, he had to help Twilight in whatever way he could, especially after how he had treated her when she had needed him the most.
"Don't worry Kirby!" He said, giving a more sincere grin, "When I've cleaned up the mess Rainbow made, I'll go looking for you around Ponyville. You've seen our closest friends before, so I'm sure you'll be able to ask them about Ponyville if you have any questions.
Kirby seemed to perk up at this. Nodding towards Spike one more time he started towards the library door. Spike watched as the puff opened the door and left the library. Once he he could no longer see Kirby he sighed sadly and went back to cleaning the library.
Meanwhile
"I'm telling you Twilight! I don't trust him for a moment!" Rainbow Dash whisper-yelled to her friend.
"Neither do I Rainbow, but apparently the princesses said that he was of no threat!" Twilight responded.
Rainbow shook her head, grunting with annoyance.
"Twilight, you saw what...Kirby did!" Rainbow groaned, "I think he needs to go!"
Twilight was honestly surprised by Rainbow's resolve. She didn't trust Kirby either, given what little she knew about him, but Rainbow seemed to take her distrust of the puff to the next level!
"Why do you dislike him so much Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "As far as we know, he hasn't done anything to harm anypony. To throw exile him for nothing would look pretty bad and could possibly provoke him!"
Rainbow looked at her friend with fire in her eyes.
"I think Kirby is a parasprite." Said Rainbow.
Twilight looked unamused by Rainbows theory.
"Really Rainbow? You think Kirby is a parasprite?" She asked. The pegasus nodded.
"Think about it Twilight!" Rainbow exclaimed, "What do parasprites do?"
Twilight responded with no hesitation.
"Parasprites will find and devour large quantities of food and crops whenever they can find them. Once a parasprite consumes enough food, it will multiply. They seemingly have and endless appetite and become a major pest if left unchecked." The unicorn then turned to a bookshelf in her room and levitated a small stack of of papers off of it. It was titled "Notes about Parasprites" and Twilight seemed to puff up with a tiny sliver of pride, showing it to Rainbow with a small grin.
"After the whole Parasprite infestation we had, I decided to take notes about them!" the unicorn said cheerfully. "I was actually going to make it into a book, but I couldn't write down much information aside from what we saw."
Rainbow skimmed through the document, only really noticing the areas that mentioned the eating habits of the flying pests.
"Okay, so you said they eat a bunch of stuff right?" Asked Rainbow looking up from the papers.
"Yes Rainbow. they eat large amounts of things, usually within seconds." Twilight droned clearly wanting her friend to get to her point.
Rainbow smirked a bit
"Tell me Twilight, what was it that Kirby did?" Twilight responded with no hesitation.
"Kirby manipulated the wind, somehow, and everything within his range was engulfed by his mouth." said the unicorn.
Silence resonated within the walls of the library. Slowly Twilight's face contorted into one of horror as she realized what she had just said. Once she did, she soon began over thinking things complicating things further.
"How could I have missed it!?" Twilight exclaimed, "The body structure between parasprites and whatever Kirby is are very similar! The studious unicorn began to pace back and forth in worry, mumbling to herself and comparing Kirby to parasprites further. Eventually Rainbow coughed to get her attention.
"So, what do you think of it Twilight? What's our move?" the speedster asked. Twilight thought for a moment putting a hoof to her muzzle.
"Well, there are a lot of connections and similarities between the two. She said softly. "At most, they might be a similar species, which would explain the similarities. But there isn't enough information to make any drastic decisions." Twilight looked up to Rainbow. "We could always see what he does first and draw conclusions from there."
Rainbow wasn't too keen on following the puff around. She huffed at the idea.
"But Twilight, you saw what Kirby could do! You also saw what that monster did too! They both could do the same thing with the wind, and Applejack said that the monster could swallow lots of stuff at once! It almost ate us! Who says Kirby couldn't do the same thing!?"
"I know that Rainbow!" But as much as I don't trust him yet, we don't have all the facts!" Twilight retorted. "Even if we did, Spike seems to have grown fond of Kirby, so if Kirby were to disappear it would look suspicious." Twilight began to mumble to herself again. "Maybe I could think of a cover story about Kirby leaving."
Rainbow, overhearing Twilight, simply shook her head.
"If you do that you'll have to answer to Rarity and Fluttershy too." She said. "They seem to like the thing just as much. I think they're hiding something though."
Twilight simply sighed in defeat. Why couldn't anything ever be easy?
"Well Dash, until we have more information, it probably wouldn't do us any good to try and chase Kirby away. We need to know what makes it tick!" Twilight said at last. Rainbow groaned, but simply nodded. With that two went downstairs. The two were rather surprised to see that a good chunk of the books had been put back on the shelves. Spike was still putting books back on the shelves but neither of the ponies could find Kirby anywhere.
"Spike? Where did Kirby go?"" Twilight asked cautiously.
"He left to go look around outside." He answered, not taking his eyes away from his current task. "You might be able to find him, I don't think he went too far.
At Spike's answer Twilight and Rainbow, kicked into high gear.
"Come on Twilight!" Rainbow called, "We can't let that pink marshmallow get away!" With that the two left out of the library leaving a lone Spike to clean up the rest of the mess.
The rays of the sun beamed down upon Ponyville. There weren't a lot of ponies out at this point in the day, but those who were caught a glimpse of a strange sight. A pink puff was happily walking down the road, humming a merry tune.
Kirby walked down through the town with a smile on his face. Whenever he spotted someone new he'd wave and say hi. Most of the ponies awe'd when they saw the cute display, and a few even approached him, saying hello and giving him pats on the head. This continued for quite some time until he came across a sight that threw him for a loop.
There, a bit further up the road, was a building made completely out of sweets!
Kirby stared at the building, eyes wide and mouth almost wider. He had seen many things over the course of his life when it came to food, but this took the cake! He stood there, mouth watering at the sight.
As Kirby stared at the building, Twilight and Rainbow dash, having followed the directions of other ponies, peered from behind a barrel.
"Well what is he doing?" Rainbow asked the unicorn.
"It looks like he's staring at Sugarcube Corner." Twilight replied. Rainbow glared towards the still form of Kirby.
"You don't think it's gonna try and eat it do you?" the speedster questioned.
Before Twilight could answer, Kirby jumped up with a loud "poyo" drawing attention to himself. Every pony in the area watched as the puff bounded over to the building until he was right beside it. He smelled the edge of the building, taking in the scent of many different sweets all at once.
Twilight and Rainbow watched as Kirby looked at the building with hunger in his eyes. Then Kirby latched onto the corner of the building with his mouth. Nobody moved for what seemed like an eternity. Then Kirby started spluttering and spitting.
That building was not made of sweets at all! The ponies in the area gave light chuckles as Kirby went around trying to get the taste of brick out of his mouth. However Rainbow and Twilight had other things on their minds.
"He just tried to take a bite out of Sugarcube Corner!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Isn't that all the proof we need!?"
Twilight sighed.
"No Rainbow that doesn't prove much." She groaned. "If anything, this goes against your theory. Parasprites have jaws capable of tearing through many things, even.... buildings as we found out last time." For Kirby to be unable to bite through, it suggests that it's something else entirely!"
The pegasus groaned at her friend's response before looking up to see that Kirby was walking away.
"Twilight, Kirby's on the move! We gotta go!"
Twilight didn't get a chance to say anything before she was dragged onwards by Rainbow, When the two left the area, Pinkie poked her head out from behind the door of the bakery. She looked around, giggled to herself, and went back inside.
Kirby continued on down the road, bouncing as he walked on. Eventually he made his way into the ruined market square. Any ponies around were doing their best to rebuild after the attack from yesterday. Kirby watched with interest as a few ponies finished rebuilding their stands and put new stock upon their shelves.
"Well howdy there Kirby!" called a voice. Kirby spun around to see Applejack putting apples out on her stand. She had been one of the few lucky ponies who didn't need to rebuild and could sell her wares right from the start. Kirby smiled at the farm pony before hearing an unfamiliar voice. Kirby looked to the side in confusion. A small yellow pony stood beside Applejack. She had a red mane and a bright pink bow that rested upon her head.
"Sis, who's this?" the small pony asked. Applejack laughed as Kirby looked between the two ponies in small shock.
"Heh, Ah supposed Ah'd better introduce you two, the orange pony said. "Kirby this here's my younger sister Applebloom." She coaxed her sister out from behind the stand and pointed towards Kirby. "Applebloom, this little fellow right here is Kirby."
Applebloom looked Kirby over for a moment before a look of recognition came across her face.
"Hey you must be that guy who Sweetie Belle was talkin about yesterday!" the filly exclaimed. Kirby bounced at the mention of Sweetie Belle. "I gotta say, she sure wasn't fibbing about you. You do look adorable."
Kirby said nothing as Applebloom continued to look him over. None of the three noticed a nearby hay bale rustling. Two pairs of eyes peered from within, staring straight at Kirby.
Eventually Applejack coughed to get Kirby and Appleblooms's attention. The two turned towards the source of the sound to find Applejack looking towards them both.
"Alright Applebloom, that's enough." She called out. "Kirby might have something planned today, so we shouldn't keep him waiting." Applebloom looked a bit upset. But before she made it back towards the stand she turned back to face Kirby.
"Mr. Kirby would you like an Apple?" she asked, smiling widely.
Kirby looked excited at the idea. But before he could say yes, his eyes caught the sign that was posted on the front of the stand. Upon it was a picture of the number two and a coin besides each other. Then there was a picture of an apple. After watching Kirby stare at the sign for a moment Applebloom spoke up.
"Oh! It's two bits for an apple." She chirped.
Kirby could only guess that a bit was considered money around here. But he knew he didn't have any of these "bits" on him. Frowning he could only shake his head and give off a soft "poyo".
While Applebloom seemed a little upset that Kirby couldn't buy an apple, Applejack chuckled softly to herself. Truthfully she didn't believe Kirby would have any bits with him, but she didn't want to stop her sister from at least making an attempt at selling an apple. She had intended to give him a free apple to compensate. However, she didn't get the chance.
Before Applejack could open her mouth to say anything, Kirby suddenly bloated up. The sisters jumped back, not expecting Kirby to suddenly grow bigger.
"U-uh Mr. Kirby are you alright?" Applebloom stuttered. Kirby didn't say anything, but he had a small smile on his face. Applejack tensed up, unsure what Kirby's motives were. The only time she'd seen him bloat up like this was when he was about to shoot out one of his stange energy bullets. But Princess Luna had said he was safe to be around, so he couldn't be readying an attack. A purple glow began emanating from the nearby hay bale, unnoticed by the three. If one were close enough, they would heard whispered coming from within.
"What's that Twilight?"
"It's a stun spell. Kirby puffed himself up out of nowhere. We have no idea what it's planning. If it does anything funny I'll let loose the spell."
No pony moved unsure of what to do. Eventually, Kirby took a few steps back and looked upwards. Opening his mouth he spat out an object.
Suddenly, something whizzed past Kirby, catching his attention. He turned to look but found himself knocked to the ground and pinned from behind.
"So attacking my friend when she doesn't give you what you want eh?" Said a familiar voice. "That's a mistake I'm not going to let you repeat." Kirby looked back to see Rainbow Dash glowering at him. He honestly didn't know what to make of the situation, he was just so confused.
"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack exclaimed. "What in the hay are you doing!?"
"Saving you from this thing, duh!" Rainbow snorted. The pegasus continued to glare at Kirby for about two more seconds before realizing that Applejack was still in the same spot. "Wait, what!? How are you not injured?" Applejack groaned.
"Because Kirby wasn't aiming at us." She replied. "He aimed upwards. She then pointed a hoof behind her. Plus judging by what he spat out, Ah'm pretty sure he wasn't intending to harm us."
Rainbow looked behind Applejack. There floating in the air, was a bubble. It floated above the apple stand, rising and falling slowly, but it wasn't floating away. However the bubble itself was the least surprising thing. Within the bubble was a rather sizable sapphire. It didn't rest against the side of the bubble, but rather floated in the middle of it. Rainbow didn't know what to say. Suddenly she felt Kirby writhing beneath her. Before she could reposition herself, Kirby broke away and ran up to the the stand. He jumped upwards and tapped the bubble, popping it and releasing the gem within. It fell onto the apple stand with a thunk. The ponies just stared at it for a while before Kirby spoke up.
"Is tis gud?" he asked happily.
Applejack walked up to the jewel and looked it over. It shown brilliantly under the sun reflecting small blue rays of light. Using gems was quite a bit better than bits, but not by a whole bunch. Unless it was an incredibly rare jewel, it would only be worth about two baskets of apples. Something told her that Kirby would be fine with that though.
"Well pardner, for that I can give you two bushels of apples." Applejack said happily.
Kirby was elated. he was going to get something to eat at last! Applebloom was in a similar state for managing to get a customer to buy so many apples at once. Kirby noticed the filly take a look at her flank for a moment, before turning sad. She perked up moments later however, still feeling good for making a sale.
Applejack placed the apple baskets on the ground in front of Kirby.
"Here ya go! Two bushels of apples!" She said.
"Poyo!" replied Kirby. He grabbed one of the apple baskets and held it over his head. Then to the surprise of the four ponies he dumped the entirety of its contents into his mouth. Kirby's body stretched out as usual and his cheeks bulged a bit. However Kirby swallowed the apples, furthering the surprise for the ponies around him. The ponies could only watch as Kirby repeated his actions to the other basket, effectively devouring over 80 apples in mere moments. Applejack and Rainbow stood slack-jawed at the display. Eventually Applebloom spoke up.
"Wow Mr. Kirby you sure must've been hungry!" said the filly.
Kirby simply smiled. With a look at his friends the puff decided to go look elsewhere for things to do. He waved goodybe to Applebloom and walked away from the still shocked ponies.
Rainbow eventually recovered. She flew towards a trembling hay bale and dragged it off into the distance after Kirby, much to the confusion of every pony around.
Spike sighed. At long last he finally had only one more book to put into place. As he slid the book into place, the ladder slid from under him, sending the dragon falling to the floor. Groaning in pain, Spike pulled himself up.
At least the shelf hadn't fallen with him.
Looking over the library one more time, he gave a sigh of relief. He could finally make good on his promise and show Kirby around Ponyville properly. As he made his way towards the door, a knock came from the other side. Confused at who would be knocking, he opened the door to find Pinkie standing on the other side.
"Hey Spike!" She chirped. "I'd like to ask for a favor."
Kirby continued exploring his surroundings. By now the sun was much higher in the sky and there were many more ponies out and about. Kirby found that most of these new ponies gave him the same treatment as before; cooing at the sight of him and being incredibly friendly. He couldn't help but smile and wave at everyone he passed by. A ways behind him however were Rainbow Dash and Twilight, still stalking the pink puff.
"Okay Twilight." Dash said to her shaken friend. "I know you saw what Kirby did to all of those apples. Is that enough to convince you?"
Twilight was still shaken by the whole thing. She had to admit that being able to eat every one of those apples so quickly was a pretty solid argument for calling Kirby a parasprite. However, Kirby spitting out that bubble was something that parasprites couldn't do unless it would've made another Kirby And this didn't go into the fact that apparently, this Kirby was intelligent! He payed Applejack with a jewel to receive apples in return! If Twilight hadn't been so fascinated on Kirby as a test subject she might have thought about what she was doing and realized she was trying to exile an intelligent creature for being similar to a pest. But she was too deep into her thoughts to consider this and kept thinking about everything else needed to prove Kirby guilty of being a parasprite.
"Well it certainly sticks to your theory well." She said. "But still, I don't think he's a parasprite exactly. Maybe if he could fly, I might believe it, but he has no wings. From what I've seen, I'm guessing Kirby is a similar species. He couldn't be some random mutation of a parasprite or an evolution. Giving up wings would be more a hindrance than being beneficial." Rainbow dash agreed only with the part of giving up wings. Giving up the ability to fly would be a pretty horrible idea, at least in her mind.
The two continued to follow Kirby around until the puff came across a peculiar sight. Two ponies were up in the sky lounging on some clouds. Kirby looked upwards at the two in wonder. A passing pegasus noticed the puff staring up into sky and turned his gaze to see what the puff was looking at. When he saw the two pegasi lying on the clouds he gave the puff a sympathetic smile.
"Sorry little guy." he said to Kirby. "Unless you can fly or know a friend who can cast a cloudwalking spell on you, I'm afraid that you won't be able to last up there." Kirby looked at the stranger for a moment before smiling.
"Poyo Poy!"he chirped.
Before anything else could be said. Kirby began to open his mouth wide, sending Twilight and Rainbow on high alert, but instead of inhaling the stallion, he simply began to puff up. This confused all three ponies. Kirby closed his mouth tightly as soon as he felt he had enough air in his system. Flapping his arms, Kirby rose from the ground, shocking everyone present.
Rainbow felt a bit of anger in her system witnessing Kirby rise into the air, but also felt a bit happy thinking that Twilight now had little reason to think that Kirby wasn't some form of parasprite. A glance over to Twilight showed that she was having trouble processing this turn of events. The unicorns jaw was almost to the floor as she watched Kirby rise higher into the sky.
Kirby eventually found a cloud that he liked. His exhaled all his stored air all at once, and fell atop the cushy surface. It had to have been one of the most comfortable things he had even been on in his entire life. Looking down he could see the faces of many ponies looking upwards towards him. Looking around some more he noticed a familiar face making her way through the crowd.
"POYO!" Kirby shouted.
Fluttershy looked around in confusion, thinking she had heard Kirby's voice, however it wasn't until she had noticed where everypony else was looking and looked up herself did she find him. Kirby was waving to her from atop a cloud. Fluttershy found herself in awe as well before gently flapping her wings and making her way towards Kirby's perch.
"Now how did you go and get yourself up here?" she asked him softly. She looked the puff over for wings, but couldn't find any on his body. Once she was done Kirby scooched over a bit on his cloud. He had chosen a sizable one and there was enough room for a pony to sit on it with him. Kirby sat down and pat the empty space beside him. Fluttershy looked the cloud over. It wasn't too high up, and Kirby didn't seem to mind. Slowly she placed herself upon the cloud. She looked towards Kirby who still had a smile on his face. She smiled back, happy to make a friend happy. Then she looked down and saw all the faces of ponies looking up at the pair. Fluttershy seized up from all the eyes upon her. Kirby seemed to notice her change in emotion because his face changed from a smile to one of concern.
"Poyo?"
Fluttershy didn't respond. She was too busy shaking in fear from all the eyes looking up at her for joining Kirby's side. Then she felt something soft embrace her from her side. The pegasus looked over to see Kirby hugging her, giving her a soft smile. Seeing Kirby so relaxed, made her relax a bit more and she placed a hoof around him. It wasn't enough to make her forget about the stares from below, but it still made her feel better.
Eventually the crowd began to disperse, leaving only Twilight and Rainbow dash to stare at the two from below.
"I think we should head back to the library. Twilight said at last. "We have a few things that things we need to discuss."
"Yeah I agree!" replied Rainbow. The two left the area and started back towards the library.
Fluttershy eventually had to leave Kirby alone to run some errand. She apologized for having to leave but Kirby didn't mind. Soon he was alone on his cloud again. Falling into the comfort of it again, Kirby found himself growing drowsy, and soon he fell asleep atop the cloud. Time passed. Kirby slept through most of the day, dreaming about his friends both new and old. Suddenly there was a shout.
"Hey!"
Kirby jumped. When he landed, Kirby toppled from the cloud. He barely had time to snatch the side of it, struggling to pull himself back up. When he did he looked over to see Pinkie in a strange flying contraption. The pink pony was smiling at him, however Kirby was not very amused. Pinkie was not deterred however.
"Hey Kirby!" She said to the pink puff. She pointed back towards the direction Kirby had come from. "You see that building way over there?" Kirby squinted his eyes, looking in the direction Pinkie's hoof was pointing. He found that it was pointed at that building he had tried to eat earlier. He looked over to Pinkie in confusion.
"That there is Sugarcube Corner!" The pink pony explained. "It pretty late in the day so I'll give you some advice. She drew her contraption closer to the cloud. "If you go over there right now there's gonna be something good in store for you!" With that Pinkie turned around a flew away towards the decorated building. Kirby, seeing no reason not to follow her and even less not to see what was up, hopped down from his cloudy perch. As he fell he tipped his body over, landing on his head; his body giving out a small squeak when he hit the ground. Looking around a bit. He looked down the path he came and took off running towards the building.
By the time Kirby had made his way to Sugarcube Corner, the sun was setting. The sky was a lovely orange color and the air was starting to cool down. He looked at the inedible building once more, before looking at the door. He slowly made his way up to it. He looked up and down the frame before knocking on the door.
No answer.
Kirby waited a moment before trying again. This time the door opened up slightly. Kirby didn't want to be rude by entering without being prompted to, but Pinkie had said that there was something waiting for him inside. Pushing the door open slowly, Kirby made his way into the building. It was darker than it should've been. kirby looked around the eerie building in silence. Then with a flash, lights turned on everywhere. A noise maker could be heard and a loud
"SURPRISE!"
rang throughout the building. Kirby was amazed! Balloons and streamers were everywhere. Ponies had come out from various hiding spots creating a rather big wall of color. Best of all, there was an enormous table filled to the brim with different foods and sweets laid out. Kirby stood there in shock barely able to process everything he was seeing.
Pinkie Pie bounded over to him.
"Were you surprised!?" the party pony asked excitedly, "Were ya!? Were ya!? Were ya!?"
Kirby couldn't answer, he just kept looking at the smiling faces of all the ponies in the room. The he noticed Spike walking up to him. Waving at the drake, Kirby finally shook himself back to the real world, and ran up to greet him.
"Hi!"
Spike laughed.
"Hey Kirby!" Spike said happily. "Pinkie pie said that she had waited far too long to throw you your "Welcome to Ponyville Party" so she decided that today would be the day she would do it." He then looked over to Pinkie, who was busy conversing with other ponies. "She also said she wanted my help since it seemed like out of us all I was your closest friend."
Kirby smiled at Spike's words. Truthfully he did feel that out of them all, Spike was his closest friend and he was glad for it. Giving a wide grin, Kirby jumped into Spike. Spike caught him at the last moment, smiling at his friend happily. Then Spike felt it. The same feeling from the day prior. This time it was much stronger. Spike stumbled a bit and nearly dropped Kirby. When he reoriented himself he found Kirby looking at him with curiosity.
"Spike okay?" The puff asked. Spike nodded his head if only to ease Kirby's concerns.
Meanwhile on the other side of the room Twilight was showing major concern for her assistant. She had noticed how touching Kirby had affected Spike somehow and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"Rainbow I think Kirby is doing something to Spike!" She told Rainbow. Rainbow Dash took a look over at the two before nodding her head and deciding to go see what was going on.
"Come on Twilight, lets see what this marshmallow is up to!" The two mares made their way over to Spike and Kirby, edging through the crowd of ponies. However, just as there were about to reach them, Pinkie popped up in between the two parties.
"So Kirby!" she began, "Spike told me that you love food!" Pinkie then began to reach into her mane for something. So..." she continued, "Seeing how you like those cupcakes I gave you yesterday I thought I'd give you other sweets as well!" Pulling an object out of her curly mane, Pinkie pie put her hoof in front of Kirby. Kirby looked into her hoof. It was a slice of chocolate cake!
"Poyo!"
Kirby grabbed the cake and ate it with a single bite. He licked his lips at the taste. He looked back to Pinkie to find that she was reaching into her mane again. This time she pulled out a cookie, which Kirby happily ate as well. This continued on for a small time, making Kirby happier and happier until Pinkie brought something else out that shook Kirby to the core, ruining his mood completely.
There, in Pinkie's hoof, was a pie.
The world seemed to slow down for Kirby as he gazed at the pie. He had bad memories with pies. A certain monster from the past had ruined his taste for them. Kirby began to back away, granting him odd and surprised looks from the other guests.
Pinkie was worried when she saw the growing look on Kirby's face.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked.
"P-p-p-pp-PIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE" Kirby shrieked. He turned away and ran from the building shocking everyone present. Pinkie looked downtrodden at Kirby suddenly fleeing the party. Spike looked just as surprised as any other pony, but soon recovered.
"K-kirby! Wait up!" he shouted. He hurried out the door after his friend. Seeing Spike run out the door after a potentially dangerous creature sent Twilight into high gear.
"Spike wait!" She called out, running after him. Soon each of the elements began to chase after the runaway Kirby. Pinkie followed after Twilight, Applejack followed after Pinkie, Fluttershy followed after Applejack, and Rarity followed after Fluttershy. However Rainbow stayed back for a moment. She had seen that Kirby had a fear of pies. She hated the things herself, but she never saw someone who was actively terrified of the things. She looked over to the pie that Pinkie had discarded when left with the others. Dash smirked. Maybe a little conditioning would help get the message across.
Kirby kept running onwards. By now it was dark and he was feeling quite exhausted. It was worth it though to get away from that evil confection. Spent for the time being, Kirby plopped down to rest. Taking a look at his surrounding he found that he had run into a forest area of some sort. He looked around. This had to have been one of the eeriest places he had ever seen! As he looked around he heard a rustle in the bushes. Kirby hastily turned around. The rustling grew louder. Whatever was in the forest with him was getting closer. Kirby put up his guard. The rustling grew closer and clowser. Then spike popped out of the bush. Kirby relaxed seeing who it was. Spike rushed over to the pink puff.
"Kirby! Thank goodness!" The drake exclaimed, "What was all that about back at the party? You just saw Pinkie's pie and you freaked out!" Kirby sighed. This wasn't exactly one of his more believable fears.
"P-pie bwings bad memowies." He stuttered.
Spike wanted to question Kirby more about his apparent fear of pies, but he didn't get the chance to. Twilight burst from the brush and screeched to a halt in front of the two, horn glowing fiercely.
"There you are!" She exclaimed. She levitated Spike away from Kirby. "What were you thinking!? Running off into the Everfree forest? At night no less!?" Spike looked away.
"I-I only wanted to make sure Kirby was alright!" He stuttered. At the mention of Kirby, Twilight whipped her head towards the puff, fury across her face.
"You..." She said in a low tone. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I will not let my assistant be put in life-threatening danger because of you!" Twilight set Spike down behind her and widened her stance. This time she wasn't a fearful disorderly mess. This time she felt she was in control. However, there was another rustling in the bushes. Turning their attention towards the sound, the three found Pinkie Pie emerging from the bushes.
"Wait Twilight! Kirby isn't a danger to us!" Pinkie shouted. "Princess Luna said so herself!" Twilight calmed down seeing her friend, but her ire towards Kirby still held true.
"No Pinkie" Twilight began, "Kirby is a danger. It's just too adorable for anypony to see it!" Rainbow Dash and I have been following him all day and he's shown the potential of being some new breed or species of parasprite!"
Pinkie looked hurt at accusation but Spike looked furious.
"Now wait just a moment!" He shouted, "What in the world makes you think Kirby is some kind of parasprite, let alone dangerous to us?!" Twilight was surprised to see Spike defend Kirby, but she quickly recomposed herself.
"Kirby isn't what it seems Spike!" Twilight explained. "Kirby ate at least 100 apples in mere seconds! An appetite like that surpasses a singular parasprite by far!"
"He also paid for those apples too if Ah recall correctly!" Said a voice. Applejack stepped from behind the bushes, cathcing Twilight off guard.
"Applejack! B-but Kirb-"
"Twilight, It don't matter much to me how many apples he ate at once." The farm pony interrupted, "Kirby here paid for his apples. It ain't like he went and sucked them all up and ran! What kinda parasprite would actually pay for food?"
Twilight couldn't answer. Applejack had a very simple yet very solid point. Parasprites weren't civil like that. As Twilight thought things over the rest of here friends eventually showed up. Rainbow Dash was surprisingly the last one to find the group. When she made her appearance she flew directly over to Twilight.
"Is something wrong Twilight?" The unicorn simply looked up at the pegasus with a frown.
"I think we should just talk about it tomorrow" Twilight responded.
With that, the group started to make their way out of the forest, thankful that they didn't run into any hostile creatures within. Once they were out of the forest they each went their separate ways. Kirby made to follow Twilight and Spike home but Rainbow pulled the puff aside for a moment.
"Okay you." She said softly. "You may have gotten the all clear from the princesses and perhaps my friends, but I've got my eyes on you." Kirby frowned. Why did this pony dislike him so much. Surely he hadn't done anything to her.
"Poyo!" he said angrily.
Rainbow simply ignored the puff's protests and made to fly away, but before she did, she turned to face him.
"Just so you know, If I find out you did anything to hurt my friends...." Rainbow pulled the pie from earlier out and presented it in front of Kirby. Kirby yelped and ran off to find Spike and Twilight. Rainbow, thinking she had made here point quite clear and that she had everything under control, smirked and flew away to her cloud house.
As Kirby caught up with Twilight and Spike he had finally made up his mind that he really didn't care too much for Rainbow Dash.
Twilight, Spike, and Kirby eventually made it back to library. Once they were inside Twilight sent Spike upstairs to sleep. She stuck around downstairs to watch Kirby. The puff had certainly had enough excitement for a single day. Slowly he plopped down and fell asleep in the middle of the floor. Twilight watched as the pink puff snored softly. She didn't know what exactly to think about Kirby. But for now, she decided that it would be best to wait until tomorrow to try and figure things out. After all, a good night's sleep would give her the energy needed to make sense of the whole situation. Twilight turned away from Kirby and trotted upstairs. Plopping into her bed, she thought about the day's events before drifting off into slumber.
Twilight was stirred from her sleep by something poking her side. Waking up slowly, she found that she was awoken by Spike, who looked rather worried about something.
"Spike what is it?" yawned Twilight. She turned towards the window, the sun wasn't even out yet. Spike grabbed something off of the floor and placed it onto Twilight's bed. Lifting it up with her magic, she was surprised to see that It was a letter from the princess. Finding herself awake rather quickly, she began to read the letter.
Dear Twilight
Forgive me for writing at this hour, but it is a matter of urgency. There have been strange happenings going on in the Crystal Empire as of late. And we fear for the safety of Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and their subjects. Gather your friends and head over to the Crystal Empire to lend your assistance. Once you arrive at the Station, Cadence will be there to tell you of the situation. Also, even though this will sound starnge, bring Kirby with you. Luna has told me that what was written in Cadence's reports and what she saw in Kirby's dreams seem to be connected in some manner. She think he knows what's going on. I wish you luck my faithful student.
Kirby found himself abruptly awoken for a second time. The puff squeaked as he was hoisted into the air by some unseen force. As Kirby was jostled about, he could make out the sound of Twilight's voice. She sounded pretty frantic about something, though he didn't exactly know what that something was. Looking around Kirby managed to find Spike who seemed to be running around the library, trying desperately to keep up with Twilight and picking up various objects as he went along.
"Come on Spike!" Twilight commanded, "We have no time to lose; we need to get the girls together and get a move on!" Twilight spun around to see how far along Spike was with her tasks only to find him running wildly back and forth, struggling to figure out which ones had the highest priority. The drake was toting a suitcase filled with quills, notebooks, and enchanted inkwells; all ready for note-taking if it ever came to that. Twilight's horn flared with magic before the suitcase was ripped from Spike's grasp, sending the baby dragon to the floor. Before he could protest however, Twilight hoisted Spike into the air with her magic. "Spike you're moving too slow! We need to pick up the pace!"
"Twilight calm down!" the baby dragon retorted. "Even if we got everything packed and everypony together we still wouldn't be able to go anywhere!" Spike pointed towards the clock. "The train station won't be open for a while."
Twilight sighed. Spike was correct. It was far too early to attempt gathering the rest of her friends and the train station wouldn't be open until much later in the day. But the unicorn couldn't simply go back to sleep with the knowledge of having such an urgent task. Twilight simply sat down, contemplating what her next course of action would be. It didn't take too long as the unicorn felt a disturbance in her levitation field. Looking over she saw Kirby starting to struggle within her magical grasp. Twilight stopped her magic, letting Kirby fall to the floor.
"Ah yes." Twilight mused "I almost forgot about you." Kirby looked over to Twilight. The unicorn gazed at him intensely, as if trying to peer into his very soul. Spike walked up to the two and looked at them both.
"Twilight?" he asked softly "Is something bothering you about Kirby? Did he do something wrong?" He was seemingly ignored by the unicorn, until she eventually spoke up.
"No Spike. Kirby didn't do anything wrong." She admitted. "But there's a lot of things that bother me about this little puff." Standing up, the unicorn walked closer to Kirby. Kirby simply watched as Twilight walked around him. She seemed to be studying his body, trying to figure out something about him.
"Poyo?"
Twilight leaned in close, squinting her eyes as her gaze bored into the pink puff. The two looked at each other once more, time seemingly nonexistent.
Then Kirby poked her muzzle.
Rearing back from the unexpected contact, Twilight yelped, flailing her hooves in a slight panic. Then, before she could stop herself, she lost her balance; falling onto her side.
"Ugggh!" she groaned, "I just don't know what to make of it Spike." Reorienting herself, Twilight turned to Spike and pointed towards the puffball behind her. "This little marshmallow has done so many things that don't make sense! "Twilight whipped around to face Kirby once more. "For starters, he can eat large amounts of food in a very short time frame. He ate two whole baskets of apples in the span of 6 seconds!" Spike looked over towards Kirby, who seemed ready to fall back to sleep at any moment.
"I'll give you that." said the drake, "Kirby does seem to love food. You should've seen how he reacted at Rarity's when we fixed breakfast!"
Twilight's gaze narrowed.
"And just how did Kirby react at the mention of breakfast?" asked the unicorn, suspicion evident in her tone of voice.
"Well..." Spike began, scratching the back of his head. "All things considered, it could've been far worse! The worst he did was tackle the table and make a mess." Twilight was caught off guard with this answer.
"Wait, it didn't try to eat you?" She asked. Spike groaned.
"No Twilight, Kirby didn't try to eat me." he replied. Twilight raised a hoof and opened her mouth. "Nor did he try to eat Rarity, or Sweetie Belle." Twilight closed her mouth and dropped her hoof.
"But Spike" Twilight pleaded. "We don't know what its truly capable of! The only things I managed to find out about it is that, it can eat far more than its size suggests, make bubbles, and fly!"
"Wait Kirby can fly?" asked Spike. "How? He doesn't have any wings." Twilight's eye twitched.
"It inhaled a large supply of air and inflated itself." The unicorn began, "Then it began to flap its... arms at a pace far too slow to give lift and floated into the sky." Twilight quivered at the broken laws of aviation. Spike however was intrigued. He turned to Kirby to voice his budding idea, only to find that the puff was now fast asleep once more. Seeing the puff snoozing away so comfortably induced a yawn on the young dragon.
"Well Twilight, I think Kirby has the right idea." He said softly. "We can talk about this a little later. For now we should *yawn* probably rest."
"But Spike-!" But it was no use. Spike, given another opportunity to doze off, had fallen back to sleep rapidly. Twilight looked at the two beings sleeping on the floor of the library, before lifting Spike up with her magic.
As she made to go back upstairs, she heard a quiet groan. Turning back she saw Kirby was shivering on the wooden floor. Twilight bit her lip, internally debating on what she should do. After a moment she sighed and reluctantly lifted the puff with her magic and carried him upstairs as well. As she entered her room, she placed Spike down upon his bed. Still levitating Kirby, she made her way to the bathroom. She looked around a bit before she found what she was looking for; a large, fluffy towel. Though it wasn't too big compared to her, to Kirby it would be huge. Carefully, the unicorn wrapped the towel around the sleeping puff. Kirby cooed at the sudden warm that cradled him and pulled the towel tighter around his body.
Satisfied with the result, Twilight made her way downstairs. Looking around, she spotted a cushion made for ponies who wanted to read within the library. Looking back at Kirby, she sighed before levitating him over to it, placing the puff on the center of the soft cushion. As soon as he made contact, Kirby seemed to melt into the soft surface, snuggling deeply into the fabric of the pillow. Despite her feelings against Kirby, Twilight had to admit the sight of the sleeping puff was absolutely adorable. A small smile unknowingly crossed her lips, as she watched his body slowly rise and fall.
Eventually Twilight left Kirby downstairs and trotted back to her bed. As she got comfortable, she thought back to how Kirby behaved, and how all her friends aside from Rainbow stood up in Kirby's defense. Despite how many parallels there were between parasprites and Kirby, there were many unknown variables that she needed to address in order to draw a proper conclusion on whether Kirby was safe around pony-kind. Maybe Rainbow Dash was being paranoid, she is easily excitable and a bit quick to judge at times, but her concerns weren't without merit. There was nothing in any animal or creature books that were close to whatever Kirby was, and parasprites were the closest thing that mimicked Kirby in any way shape or form; aside from that thing in the market square. Yet Kirby would likely only be a distant relative to them at best if Dash's theory was true.
"But either way." she muttered to herself. "Dangerous or not, we have to lay ground rules for handling Kirby, otherwise there will be trouble." Twilight didn't think about the subject any further, as she found herself drifting back sleep, slowly letting her worries melt away to be dealt with at another time.
A few hours later
Twilight's eyes slowly fluttered open. Moaning quietly she pulled herself out of her bed, asking herself what the current time was. Making her way to the window Twilight pushed the blinds aside, only for sunlight to assault her eyes full force.
"Nyyygh." she hissed, sloppily attempting to shut the blinds back again with her hoof to end the onslaught of light. Then the realization struck her, stopping her in her tracks.
"We're going to be late!" She screeched. Horn flaring to like in a roar of magic, Twilight focused her power on every important object and body within the library for her quest, levitating them into the air. Spike awoke abruptly, flailing his arms around in surprise at the sudden movement.
"Twilight!" He shouted, "What's happening!?"
Twilight whipped around, panic shown across her face.
"We overslept! We need to gather the girls, there's no more time to waste!" She cried. "Oh I knew we should've stayed up until the sun rose!"
Twilight teleported them downstairs, where the majority of her magic was being put to use. Inkwells, paper, and quills soared around the library's interior, driven by the magic keeping them airborne. They would fly around before shooting into a designated suitcase for the journey. Spike's eyes widened at the display. Though he had seen this kind of thing happen before, it was always a sight to see a unicorn use magic with such flexibility and grace; even if Twilight didn't look very graceful at the present moment. As Twilight continued sorting things out, Spike noticed Kirby floating in the center of the madness.
"Kirby!" he called out. "You okay over there?" He got no response back, Spike squinted at the puff through the flying quills and paper and was shocked to find that, despite everything that was currently going on, Kirby was still fast asleep! Spike couldn't believe his eyes. "Must be a pretty heavy sleeper." He thought to himself. As he made to try calling out to his friend again Twilight had finally finished packing the "essentials."
Sighing with relief, she focused her magic and teleported the three of them towards Sugar Cube Corner.
Twilight, Spike, and Kirby appeared outside the bakery in a burst of magic, catching the eyes of a few passing ponies. The unicorn walked inside, with baby dragon and puffball in tow. There weren't many ponies on the inside, but when they noticed Kirby most stopped what they were doing to look at the still sleeping puff. Twilight ignored this and made her way up towards the counter where a blue earth pony gave them a wave.
"Hello Twilight! "What can I get you today?" Asked the pony.
"Oh!" I'm fine Mrs. Cake." Twilight replied hurriedly. "Is Pinkie in right now? I really need to see her!"
"Oh yes! She right in her-" Twilight raced upstairs before Mrs. Cake could finish her sentence.
"-room...."
Twilight knocked on Pinkie's door and stood back. She waited there for a moment. Nothing happened. Twilight knocked on the door again, this time with more force. Still nothing.
"Maybe she's asleep?" Spike offered.
"Pinkie? Asleep at this hour? That'll be the day." Twilight retorted as she knocked on the party pony's door once more. Still, no overly energetic pony came out from within the confines of the room. Twilight groaned in frustration. "I don't get it!. Mrs. Cake said she was in her room! Where could she possibly be!?"
"I'm right here silly!"
"GYYAAH!?!" Twilight and Spike shrieked simultaneously. Kirby showed no indication that he was affected, and continued to sleep.
Once the two had calmed down from the initial shock, Twilight glared at the pink pony.
"Pinkie Pie, where we're you!? Why didn't you answer the door!?"
"Well...." Pinkie began. "I saw you three teleport outside the bakery, and I thought "This would be a perfect time to sneak up on Twilight!" So I jumped out the window and waited until you went upstairs and-." A lavender hood was shoved into the pink pony's mouth, silencing her abruptly.
"Sorry Pinkie, but we have more urgent matters to attend to." Said Twilight, giving her friend an apologetic look. "I need you to gather the rest of the girls and meet me at the train station!" Twilight removed her hoof from Pinkie's muzzle and Pinkie gave a salute.
"Sir yes sir! You can count on me!" Pinkie barked, before she bounced away. Spike snickered.
"Did she just call you sir?" he giggled.
Twilight simply shook her head, and teleported the group back outside. Spotting the path towards the station, Twilight began to gallop down it; levitating Spike, Kirby, and all of their luggage well above the road to avoid any possible collisions with another pony. Every now and then she'd teleport further to cover more distance and she was making great progress.
"The station isn't too much further!" She thought, as she charged down the road. At last, the station came into view. Her horn grew brighter as she increased her magic output one last time to cover the remaining distance with a teleport. With flash, they all appeared in front of the station. Twilight slumped down, exhausted. She let Spike and Kirby down, along with the baggage. Spike dusted himself before turning to Kirby. Despite all odds, the puff had remained asleep throughout the entire run. Deciding not to bother him, Spike turned to speak to Twilight, only to be be interrupted by a shout.
Twilight and Spike turned towards the sound to find the rest of their friends rushing towards the station. Rainbow Dash streaked overhead, reaching the station far before the others did.
"What's up egghead?" she joked, circling overhead before landing beside the purple unicorn. "Pinkie Pie said to meet you at the station. Said it was really important." Twilight nodded. The rest of the group soon arrived each with their own luggage, though it seemed that Rarity had over packed a little bit. With everyone present, Twilight turned to Spike.
Spike could you present the letter please?" She asked. Spike nodded before unfurling Princess Celestia's letter. Each of the ponies looked it over.
"So we're going back to the Crystal Empire?" Rarity spoke, looking up from the letter.
"Yes." Twilight confirmed. "Princess Celestia said that something weird was happening and its making the citizens uneasy. Our task is to go there and find out what's causing problems and stop it before it can get any worse." Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she continued reading the letter.
"What's this about the pest needing to go with us?" she growled. Twilight sighed.
"Princess Luna said that what's happening in The Crystal Empire, and what she saw in Kirby's mind are incredibly similar." the unicorn explained. "She thinks that Kirby might have some knowledge about what's going on."
"And just where is Kirby anyway?" Rainbow snorted. "I thought that Kirby was safe to be around. It's only been a day, and now the Princess is saying that marshmallow may have something to do with whatever is happening!"
"Hold on now!" Applejack interjected, "So far it seems that Kirby isn't here to cause trouble. He's been nothing but kind to us, so you can't go accusing 'em without proof that he has it out fer us!"
"Applejack you saw what he did!" Rainbow protested. "He eats way more than a pony does, and he bust up that monster the other day with just a few of those stars he spits! What if he turns on us huh? What if he grows up into that thing from the market? They have similar abilities!"
"Darling, if Kirby wanted to eat us, he probably would have attempted to by now." Rarity reasoned. "He was with Spike and Sweetie Belle, and they're perfectly fine." Rarity pondered for a moment. "Thinking back on it, that brutish creature just used you as ammo rather than a meal and it certainly had the opportunity to do so. If by chance Kirby does grow into whatever that thing was, he'd have the same diet." Rainbow raised a hoof to protest, but found that the argument was pretty sound.
"Fine..." she relented. "But I'm still keeping an eye on it! For all we know, it could be playing us for chumps!"
The group turned towards the station and made their way to the ticket booth. Twilight paid for Spike, Kirby, and herself while the rest of the girls paid for their own tickets. Once they all had their tickets, they all waited on the platform for the train to arrive. It wasn't too long before there was a whistle in the distance. The Friendship Express rolled smoothly into the station, and came to a stop. Ponies soon began to board and disembark the train.
"Looks like its time for us to head on out." said Applejack. The ponies made their way towards the the nearest passenger car, handing the conductor pony their tickets as they boarded the train. One by one, the ponies got on, Spike sticking close to Rarity. Twilight was the last to board. She levitated her belongings and Kirby as she made her way onto the train. However the unicorn had lifted Kirby up a bit too high. As she got on, Kirby bumped into the top of the rail car's frame. He wasn't hurt, but the jolt was enough to finally stir him from his slumber.
"Poy...yo?" He squeaked. Looking around he found that he was in an unfamiliar place.
Where was he? He had fallen asleep in the library hadn't he? This place was smaller and had no bookshelves. Looking around he found that he was suspended in the air. Why was he floating? His thoughts were interrupted when he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.
....
Why was the ground so soft?
Kirby wiped his eyes and took a better look at his surroundings. It seemed like he hadn't hit the ground at all, but rather had landed on a cushion. He saw rows of benches and a door at the each end of the small room. There was a third door on the side that was open, but it was soon closed by an unseen force.
"Poyo?"
Looking to the other side, he saw the ponies getting themselves comfortable. He hopped off of the bench and started to make his way over when he heard a whistle. The room he was in began to rumble and jerked forwards slightly throwing the puff off balance a bit. Being so small he couldn't see too much from his current position, but a glance upwards out of one of the windows let him see a tree branch slide slowly out of view. The sounds, the strange feeling of the ground, and the whistle all seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. Then it all clicked.
He was in a train.
There weren't a whole lot of them back in Dreamland. In fact, the only thing that came to mind when he thought of rails were mine carts. Kirby frowned. When the Haltmann Works Company attacked, trains had become far more common. Yet they all seemed to be death traps, made to injure the puff on his quest. They didn't even seem to serve any real purpose as they didn't have any real cargo. How they had made a full blown transportation system, that doubled as a death trap, in about a day's time baffled him. Then again, Star Dream was kind of like Nova from what he had seen, so maybe it wasn't too crazy to think that the company had the capability make such a crazy endeavor a reality.
Putting his thoughts aside, he continued towards the group. He soon found Spike staring at Rarity. Kirby couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like the dragon had hearts in his eyes. The puff had closed the distance between them, hoping to get some more information about the current situation.
"Spike?" Kirby voiced. He didn't get a reply.
"Spike?" Kirby voiced again louder this time. He poked the dragon slightly. Spike jumped, before turning around, meeting Kirby's gaze.
"Oh!" Spike sighed. "It's only you Kirby. What's up?" Kirby looked at the drake before motioning towards the window.
"Were ah we goin?" asked the puff. Spike seemed to brighten up.
"Oh! We're going to the Crystal Empire!" He said proudly. Princess Celestia said that there was something going on in the empire and that we needed to check it out. The princesses asked us to bring you along, because they think you might be able to help."
Kirby nodded in understanding.
"I'll help!" the puff proclaimed excitedly, bouncing in place slightly.
"Calm down little guy." Applejack called out. "We have to get there first. It'll be evening tomorrow when we actually get there. We won't be doing much but waiting for now."
"Well hopefully we get there soon!" grunted Rainbow, tapping her hooves in annoyance. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get some action!" The pony plopped onto her side after that. Pinkie Pie bounced over to her friend.
"Don't worry Dashie!" She bubbled, "I brought a whole lot of stuff to do in case we get bored!" The bouncy pony pulled out a stack of board games and sweets. Kirby's mouth watered at the sight. He quickly bounced over to Pinkie's position. Pinkie looked down at Kirby and was met with cute eyes staring back at her.
"Aw you're so cute!" she squeed. She popped open a box and handed the puff a chocolate cupcake, who ate the confection within seconds, wrapper included. Rainbow goraned. This might be the longest train she'd ever have to take.
Later, in Canterlot Castle
Princess Celestia watched as the final noble pony left her court. By now it was late in the day, and soon it would be time to lower the sun to give way to Luna's night. As she got up from her seat, she was surprised when her sister walked into the room,
"Luna!" She emoted, "I wasn't expecting to see you up quite yet. Is something the matter?" Luna groaned.
"It's that puffball, Kirby." Luna voiced. "No matter how I try to see it, I can't help but feel that I've made the wrong choice asking the elements to bring him with them." Celestia was puzzled, by her younger sister's words.
"Would you like to explain once I've lowered the sun for today?" she offered. Luna thought for a moment before sighing softly.
"I suppose it would be best to talk about what troubles me." she muttered. "Very well Tia. Once you have lowered the sun meet me in the dining room. We shall talk about the matter there." With that the lunar princess walked away.
Princess Celestia eyed the spot where her sister once was, before leaving the room herself. Ask she walked through the castle halls she began to wonder what about Kirby had Luna so upset.
"Perhaps she questions the integrity of Kirby's character?" she thought to herself. But soon she came to a small snag in that theory. "Yet it was her idea to send Kirby with Twilight and her friends in the first place. Surely she isn't having second doubts so soon. So what could it be?"
Deciding that the questions could wait until she met with Luna, Celestia continued towards the balcony. As she stepped out into the outdoors, she looked down at the kingdom below. The city light were starting to turn on and began to illuminate the darker patches of Canterlot. Celestia smiled and began to focus her magic. Her horn glowed as she felt the familiar magic flow through her. Soon she began to lower the sun beyond the horizon. The sky grew darker, fading from orange, to a dull red, and finally to deep blue. Glancing away from where the sun had set she watched as the moon rose into position, signalling the true start of the night.
With her task completed, the solar princess left the balcony and made her way to the dining room. Once she arrived at her destination, she walked inside to find Luna sitting at the far end of the table, staring in her direction.
"There you are sister." Luna called out. "Come, I believe we may have a bit to discuss." The solar princess walked over towards the table and sat down across from her sister.
"Alright Luna." She said in a caring tone. "What has you so upset?" Luna looked away, attempting to look anywhere but her older sibling's eyes."
"Well..." She began. "Like I said earlier, it's about Kirby. I cannot help but wonder if sending him with the Elements was the best course of action. His character seems to be genuine with no ill intent towards anypony. However, as I mentioned before, he seems to have a selective fear of technology and he truly believes he hails from another planet, which is absurd!" Luna looked down towards the table, her mane covering her face. "Yet what his dreams depict and what Princess Cadenza writes in her letter are far too similar and extreme to be mere coincidence. Perhaps I misjudged his innocence, what if something happens?"
"Luna I'm positive that you made the right choice." Celestia said softly. The alabaster alicorn draped a wing around her sibling, who seemed to calm down slightly at the touch. "Decisions like these aren't always easy make and its true that they can have unforeseen consequences. However, you said yourself that Kirby seems to have good intentions. If worst come to pass, and he turns out to be a threat to our little ponies, I'm confident that Twilight and her friends will be able to band together and stop him."
Luna sighed.
"I supposed you're right." She mumbled. "But still, I cannot shake the feeling that there is more to that Kirby than meets the eye." Celestia smiled at her sister.
"If there is, I'm sure we will hear of it." She replied. "Twilight does tend to be rather thorough when it comes to researching the unknown." The solar princesses then yawned, letting the two sisters know that they had been speaking for some time.
"It is getting late for you sister," Luna chimed. "You should go and get some rest. I'm sure you've earned it after dealing with so many nobles." Celestia simply gave a weary smile and chuckled, before leaving her sister in the dining hall. Once celestia had left, Luna turned to look out the window. There were still many questions and feeling s that she held within her that didn't make sense. Deciding to think about it later, Luna teleported to her bedroom. She looked around the dark room for a bit, before she found what she was looking for.
A quill and and an inkwell.
She quickly scribbled a small note, before sending it away in a dark blue cloud of smoke.
"That should take care of any issues that may occur." She thought to herself. She thought about wether she should continue thinking about the strange enigma that was, Kirby. However, the night was progressing and it was her duty to protect the dreams of Equestria. Deciding to save her thoughts and questions for later, Luna focused her magic and began helping the sleeping ponies of Equestria within the dream realm.
Kirby was slowly starting to awaken. The the girls, spike, and himself had all tucked in for the night abord the train's sleeper car. The puff looked around and found that Twilight and he friends weren't in the room with him, minus Spike, who was snoozing away on the bed next to him. Deciding to to find where the rest of group, Kirby hopped out of the bed and landed on the floor, barely making an sound. He looked around the car again, before deciding to head towards the engine.
Now, the sleeper car had plenty of windows installed within them so that anyone aboard could look outside just as easily as on passenger car. However, these windows had blinds to allow passengers to sleep, whether it be in the day or night. Most of the blind were down, blocking the view of the outside world. The few windows that didn't have blinds pulled down were letting sunlight pour into the rail-car in great amounts, and as Kirby walked into the light on his way to the next cart, the light surged into his eyes. Kirby yelped in anguish, as the assaulting light blinded him just long enough to trip him up. The puffball tumbled to the floor squeaking slightly.
Kirby's cry was just enough to stir Spike from his slumber. The baby drake, smacked his lips and he creaked his eyes open.
"Morning already?" He mumbled. He looked around a bit and was just about to go back to sleep, when he noticed that Kirby was on the floor. "Kirby? What are you doing on the floor? Did you fall out of the bed?" The dragon questioned groggily.
"Kirby recovered and shook his head."
"Gurlz gon!" the puff pointed out.
"Could you repeat that?" Spike asked softly. "I didn't quite hear that."
"Teh gurlz ah gon!" Kirby repeated, louder this time. Spike looked around. Indeed the rest of his friends were gone. Even Rainbow Dash, who was about as heavy a sleep as he was, was nowhere to be seen within the room.
"Huh..." the drake voiced softly. "So they are." This new development had motivated Spike enough to get out of the bed. As he got up and dusted himself off, he looked around. The sunlight pouring into rail-car didn't catch him as it did Kirby, yet it still seemed to be pretty bright. Spike turned to Kirby and waved him over. "Come on Kirby, let see what's going on."
Kirby nodded and ran up to Spike. The two of them left the sleeper car and strayed into the dining car. Strangely enough it, it was devoid of ponies.
"What the...?" Spike muttered. "Where's the staff? Or anypony else for that matter? Surely at least one pony would be here to eat something." Kirby simply shrugged before pointing to the door leading into the next rail-car."
"Onwar!" he exclaimed. Spike nodded and the two went through the door.
The next car was yet another sleeper car so the two simply continued on. Ponies or no ponies, it would be rude to peer in on someone sleeping. As the two grew closer to the door, they could hear the sound of conversation on the other side.
Sounds like we'll find out what's going on once we step in." Spike noted.
The pair opened the door to meet a mass of color. Ponies lined the sides of the passenger cars, looking outside with what seemed to be confusion and worry.
"Whats going on in here?" Spike wondered looking around at the conversing ponies. Kirby glanced around before spotting a familiar violet tail that seemed rather extravagant in design.
"Poyo!" he called out, pointing in its direction. A few ponies glanced in his direction, but most seemed more preoccupied with whatever was going on outside. Spike turned to see what Kirby wanted, when he saw what he was pointing at. Instantly the dragon perked up, and groomed himself before jogging over towards the tail's owner. As he grew closer, he saw vaguely familiar mane styles and coat colors around his goal, but that didn't matter to him at the moment.
"Hello Rarity." he cooed, sliding to a stop behind the mare. However, he wasn't greeted by the fashionista pony's voice but rather the one he heard almost every day.
"Spike what took you so long to wake up!?" We're almost to the Crystal Empire!" Spike, shaken from his romance induced stupor, could barely stammer out a reply.
"S-sorry Twilight. I didn't know we were so close already."
"Well at least yer up now." Applejack chimed in. "Now you can get a look at what has everypony all turned around." Spike was confused at what the farm pony meant, but before he could ask about her words the drake was covered in magic and was levitated up to the window. Spikes jaw dropped at what he saw outside. Kirby managed to regroup with the team at this point.
"Poyo?"
At Kirby's voice, the group turned back around to face him. Each had varying degrees of emotions across their faces. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up.
"Alright marshmallow, you're apparently the expert here, so whats the big idea with all of that!?" She snorted, pointing towards the window. Kirby tilted his head in confusion, having no idea what the pegasus meant.
"Wat?" he questioned.
"Perhaps you'd better see for yourself." said Applejack. She beckoned the puff over with her hoof. Kirby simply jumped onto Applejack's back. When he looked out the window he gasped.
The ground was silvery-white in color. At a simple glance he might've mistaken it for snow. However, a closer look revealed that the ground was segmented. Each tile had four bolts in each corner, and the tiles stretched for what seemed like miles. Peering around the ruined landscape, he saw that there were patches of ground that weren't made of metal, and actually had beautiful blankets of snow covering them. These patches didn't last forever though, as the metal portions of the ground seemed to expand over them, hiding the land from sight. Kirby was horrified.
The problem that he had set out to correct had followed him here, and was putting the citizens of the planet in grave danger!
Kirby teetered off of Applejack's back, falling onto the floor.
"Well thats not the most extreme reaction I've seen on this train." Twilight commented. She picked the puff up with her magic. The action seemed to shake Kirby back into reality.
"P-poyo...." He shivered. The group took notice of Kirby's demeanor.
"You seem pretty upset about whats out there." Twilight noted. "Do you know anything about what's going on?
Kirby didn't get to answer as a voice blared throughout the passenger car.
"Attention all passengers. We shall be entering the Crystal Empire in five minutes. Please gather your belongings and be prepared to disembark the train."
All other conversations ceased as the other ponies left to get ready to get off the train.
"Come on girls. We can ask Kirby what he knows about it once we meet with Cadence." Said Rarity. The girls and Spike agreed, though Twilight and Rainbow weren't so enthusiastic with the idea.
As the doors swung open, The group walked off the train to see a rather empty station. he only ponies around were the staff and the ponies getting off the train. A quick glace to the board revealed that all further trains had been cancelled until further notice.
"Looks like this is more serious than we thought." Spike commented idly. The gropu made there way out of the station. As they walked outside, Twilight brightened up. Not too far away from them, was a pink alicorn, accompanied with a few guards.
"Cadence!" she called out. The alicorn looked over and gave a wide smile.
"Twilight!" Cadence replied. Kirby watched with interest as the the two ponies partook in a ritual that he never would have expected from Twilight.
~ Sunshine Sunshine! Ladybugs bugs awake! ~ ~ Clap your hooves and do a little Shake! ~
The two giggled once their greeting was done and exchanged a hug.
"It's so good to see you again Cadence!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Same goes to you!" Cadence replied back. She sighed. "I just wish it wasn't always when there's trouble." Cadence's drop in mood brought the group back to the task at hand.
"So whats been going on around here Princess?" Applejack spoke up. "The ride here was mighty strange indeed."
"Yeah!" Pinkie bubbled. "The ground was all shiny and metal-like!" The party pony frowned. "It doesn't look like it would be very fun to play in..."
"Things have been rather hectic around here as of late." the pink alicorn said softly. "But I think we should head back to the Castle and continue talking there." The ponies nodded in agreement. As Cadence made to turn around, she saw something unfamiliar towards the back of the group.
"Hello?" she said softly, intrigued by whatever was tagging along with Twilight's friends. The group broke up and left Kirby standing by his lonesome. Upon witnessing the puff, Cadence instantly perked up.
"Awww what a cutie!" she cooed. She picked the puff up in her fore-hooves, rocking him back and forth in a tight hug. She turned to Twilight. "Twilight where did you find this little guy, its so adorable!" Twilight nervously rubbed the back her head, giving Cadence a rather forced grin.
"Well actually." she began. "That's Kirby. Princess Celestia told us to bring him when we came to the empire." At the reveal of Kirby's name, Cadence stopped smiling and abruptly dropped the puff from her grasp, turning towards the lavender unicorn in shock.
"Wait. THAT'S Kirby?" she asked. Twilight was surprised but nodded her head towards the question. Cadence was stunned and turned back to the puff. He looked at her for a moment before raising an arm and opening his mouth.
"Hi!"
Silence fell upon the group.
"W-well." She stuttered. "I wasn't expecting this. Princess Luna said that she was sending somepony named Kirby to help us out, but I don't think I could've seen this coming even if I was a thousand years old!" Twilight gave a small chuckle..
"He does seem to have that effect on ponies." she said idly. Cadence nodded before a voice spoke up.
"Hey we're wasting daylight! Let get to the castle already!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity squeaked. "Cadence may be our friend, but she's still a princess! Show some respect!" Cadence waved a hoof.
"Its alright Rarity." She said calmly. "Besides, Rainbow has a point. We should head back to castle so we can, think about what we need to do to avert this possible crisis."
The group nodded and started off, leaving the station and officially making their entrance into the Crystal Empire.
As everyone made their way towards the palace, Kirby decided to take a peek at his new surroundings. Houses lined the sides of the road they were traversing, but they were all made of crystal. He had seen many different things on his adventures, but nothing quite like this! Each house seemed to shimmer with an almost magical light, catching the sunlight just right to make each construction look absolutely magnificent. He stared at each house the group passed, "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" at some of the bigger ones.
A few of the ponies found his wonderment rather amusing.
"He sure seems to like it here don't he?" Applejack chuckled. Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy chuckled as Kirby continued to look on in amazement. Rainbow simply grumbled to herself and looked away from the puff. Twilight however was focused on another matter entirely.
The crystal empire was pretty barren. Almost every single pony she spotted along the road was a royal guard. Hardly any civilians were out and about and the few that she did she, were ushered indoors by any guards in the area. There didn't seem to be anything amiss with the Empire itself, and whatever was causing the ground around the Empire to turn into metal was quite a ways away from them. Had something transpired earlier before their arrival? Deciding to voice her concerns later, Twilight suppressed her questions until a better time presented itself.
The group continued on leaving the residential area of the empire an entering the market area. Kirby, having no more extravagant houses to look at, turned his attention back to his friends. He sped up a tad in order to catch up to Spike.
"Poyo!"
Spike turned his attention to the puff, looking over his face to read his expression.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." The dragon pointed out. Kirby simply nodded. Spike chuckled. "Well we don't have much farther to travel until we make it to the castle."
He was right, Kirby turned his attention forwards and spotted the massive tower ahead. How had he missed that?
It wasn't long before the group arrived at the base of the massive structure. As the walked towards the door, Kirby could see an oddly shaped crystal floating in between two spires. He stared at it for a bit before turning his attention towards the front of the group. Two guards stood by the entrance preventing them from moving forwards.
Princess Cadence walked up to the soldiers and spoke to them for a bit, before standing aside and waving the rest of the group in with her wing. Everyone complied, walking into the Crystal Castle.
Kirby was amazed by the interior of the palace. The inside was gorgeous! Everything glimmered and shined as he looked at it, yet it was never blinding, giving off an amazing glow. Kirby had to admit that this was probably the best looking castle he had ever seen in his entire life.
"Dedede and Escargoon would love it here." the puffball thought as the group came to a halt. Before them stood three guards the one in the center was bigger than the other two and had a more serious air about him. Twilight seemed to grow brighter when seeing him.
"Shining Armor!' she exclaimed, running towards the stallion. Said stallion smiled brightly and opened his forelegs, ready to receive a hug.
"Twiliey!" He responded. The purple unicorn collided with her brother and embraced him tightly. The two were like that for a few moments before they both released their grip on the other and returned to a normal stance.
"It's so good to see you again BBBFF!" Twilight started. Shining nodded.
"Same goes for me!" he replied. His expression grew stern however. "I just wish we didn't have to meet due to emergency situations all the time. He turned to to the rest of the group. "I'm sure you all have noticed what was happening on the outskirts of the empire." he questioned.
"Yeah, the ground was really funky!" Pinkie began. "It was made up of some kind of weird metal that was growing over everything else! It was kind of freaky but kinda cool in a weird sense at the same time!" Shining nodded in confirmation.
"That's correct Ms. Pie." he said. "The ground has inexplicably started turning into metal. whats worse, we've never seen any kind of metallic surface like this before. Its composition is quite sturdy, and it takes incredible magical output or incredible amounts of force to do anything to it." Everyone except for Kirby was surprised.
"How's that possible?" Twilight pondered aloud. "Most metals don't resist magic or brute force that well, and the few that do are incredibly rare, definitely not enough to cover miles upon miles of land so quickly." Cadence shook her head.
"And yet, our methods of getting rid of this strange substance continue to fail." She said softly. "We've tried everything we could think of to get rid of the stuff, but nothing seems to work." The princess of love sighed. "Whats worse, when we find something that DOES seem to have an effect on it, it just repairs itself, and in no time at all its like nothing had ever happened to it in the first place!"
The elements looked at one another, and began talking about what they could do to possibly remedy the situation.
"Ladies, I do believe this could be tougher than we first thought. Perhaps we should wait a while to see what arises and we can plan a move from there?"
"No way Rarity! Who knows what that stuff could do if we just leave it alone! I say we throw everything we've got at it and see how tough this stuff really is!"
"Rainbow Dash, Cadence is an alicorn, and together with Shining armor, they make one of the most powerful forces in all of Equestria, and they couldn't do much to whatever this metallic rubbish is. It might be better to wait and think of a plan."
"Ah think ah have to agree with Rares on this one. Perhaps we should wait until we have more information." Shining perked up.
"Oh that reminds me!" he exclaimed slapping a hoof on his face in exasperation, "We received a letter from Princess Luna saying that you were bringing a pony who may have some knowledge that could help with our situation. I believe she said his name was Kirby."
The ponies froze. Spike watched knowing what was to come. Kirby, hearing his name, jumped forwards.
"Hi!"
Shining blinked, then rubbed his eyes with his hooves.
"Um... what is this?" The prince asked, voice full of confusion. Twilight sighed, but made ways for introductions.
"Shining Armor, this is Kirby." She groaned. "As you said, he's here to help us figure out whats going on so we can return the Crystal Empire back to its normal state." Shining had to take a moment to process this information.
"Well..." he sputtered. "I certainly can't say I was expecting this." he said, looking over the smiling puffball. "But if Princess Luna says you could be able to help, then I won't question it." The pony looked like he still had his doubts, but he dismissed them in favor of getting on with things. "Alright Mr. Kirby, if you can, could you tell us anything you know about what is happening and how to stop it if possible?"
Kirby soon began to tell everything he knew about the situation, giving detailed descriptions of what was happening, what was likely going to happen, and what they would probably need to stop it before things got worse. It was the most the group had ever seen Kirby speak and it actually shocked them that he could be so vocal.
Shining stared at Kirby, taking all that he said in, before giving his reply.
"Okay, so did any of you understand a word of that?" he questioned, "Because I have absolutely no clue what he just said, if anything." At this Kirby sighed. Maybe he should've taken those speaking classes that Tiff gave him a bit more seriously.
"Sorry Shining." Spike spoke. "Kirby can't speak all that well. According to him, he can understand what we're saying, but when it comes to speaking himself, hes still learning."
"B-but how?" The royal stallion stuttered. Spike simply shrugged. Shining sighed
"Well this certainly complicates things." he said, deflating a bit. His wife walked u[p to him and nuzzled him, he seemed to become a bit happier at that, but not by a whole lot.
"Don't worry big brother, I'm sure the girls and I will be able to get to the bottom of this, and return everything to normal!" Twilight exclaimed. Her friends nodded in agreement. Spike simply looked on, while Kirby seemed to be focusing his attention towards the door.
Suddenly, before anything else could be said, two guards burst through the doors, skidding to a halt just in front of everyone.
"Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor! Scout Squad 2 have returned from further up North!" exclaimed on of the guards. "They say they've made huge discoveries and are waiting outside for your presence!" The two royal ponies looked at one another, a look of determination growing across their muzzles, then they hurried off through the corridor heading outside.
"Hey wait for us!" Rainbow dash called out, before flying through the doors, giving chase to the rushing couple. The rest of the elements followed suit. Spike looked at Kirby who returned eye contact. The two nodded, before taking off after their friends.
As Spike and Kirby arrived back outside, they began to take in the scene around them. There were a number of guards in the area that weren't there before. They seemed to be huddled around something, but the two of them were having a hard time trying to see what was going on. They soon decided that they should probably listen to to what the others were saying to figure out what was going on.
"Twilight what is that thing?"
"I don't know for sure, but it looks like some kind of metal golem."
"Whatever it is it looks absolutely dreadful, its all covered in rust and filth!"
"Is it alright? It looks like its in really bad shape..."
Having enough of listening to the others comment on something they personally couldn't see, Spike and Kirby decided to push their way to the front. Upon seeing the two approach, Twilight stopped the two.
"And just what do you two think you're doing?" she scolded. Spike shuffled nervously.
"W-well, we just wanted to see what you girls were so flustered about." The drake stuttered. Twilight sighed.
"Spike I know you're curious, but this could be dangerous. You two should probably head back inside. We'll let you know what we find out a bit later." she said sternly. Spike groaned, but decided to try push one time before giving up.
"Please Twilight, can't we at least see what it is?" He pleaded. Twilight sighed with frustration.
"Fine, but only for a moment, then its back inside with you two. Understand?" Spike nodded happily, while Kirby just smiled.
Twilight walked up to Shining and whispered into his ear. The prince looked surprised and seemed to ask her a question to which she nodded. The prince still seem surprised but seemed to have no objections.
Shining made his way towards the guards and relayed a message to them. The guards split away allowing for a better view of what was hidden. Spike and Kirby looked at what lay before them, and they too were shocked by what was there. However, out of everyone present, no one was more shocked then Kirby.
There, lying in a heap on the floor, was a busted and battered, Robobot Armor Mech!
Kirby couldn't believe it! Of all the things that he could have found, this had to have been the best! Robobot Armor! Well, technically it was invader armor, but that wouldn't be the case for long! He bounced with unrestrained excitement.
"Poyo! Poyo!"
The others noticed the commotion Kirby was making, and before any of them could really react, Kirby had began to bounce his way towards the familiar hunk of metal. He didn't get very far though.
"Halt!" shouted a voice. Kirby was caught by surprise and tripped. Lifting his face up, he looked around and noticed a guard pony looking at him sternly.
"This is an unknown and possibly dangerous artifact that was excavated by the Crystal Guard." He boomed. "We require that you keep your distance, until more information has been gathered and it has been thoroughly studied."
"Poyo Robo!" Kirby retorted. But it was no good. The guardspony was firm and refused to let up. Seeing how he wasn't going to get past the pony without causing some sort of commotion, the pink puff decided to look at what he could see from his current position.
This particular armor had definitely seen better days. It's silver body was covered in dents and scratches. Most of the spikes on the front had been broken off. The "mouth" of the mech hung open, revealing a gaping hole where its scanner should've been.
Kirby looked lower down.
The suit was missing one of it's legs, and the exhaust pipes were heavily bent out of shape. This mech wouldn't be walking or hovering in any shape or form for a while. . .
Kirby cringed, then turned his attention back to the body of the robot.
. . . It seemed to be missing an arm as well. . .
"Poyo..." Kirby whimpered. This mech was out of commission for the foreseeable future. The others looked at the crestfallen puff, but assumed he was saddened by his inability to see the the odd hunk of metal up close. Rarity walked alongside the puff and patted him on the head.
"Don't worry darling." Rarity said softly. "Twilight is a very smart pony. I'm positive she'll be able to figure out what manner of object this is." A few of the other mares nodded, though Rainbow just averted her eyes from the puff. Kirby didn't respond. Twilight soon spoke up.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed viewing an unknown artifact." she said. "but we really need for you and Spike to head back inside the palace, at least until we can come up with a plan."
Her expression left no room for debate, but again Kirby didn't respond. Spike simply sighed and gave a nod. He turned and scooped the puff in his arms and made his way back into the Crystal Castle. Kirby didn't even noticed he was being moved until he was halfway into the throne room.
"Spike go bac!" he shouted.
Spike was caught off guard, by Kirby suddenly deciding to speak, but simply shook his head.
"Sorry Kirb, but Twilight told us to stay inside until she needed us." the drake said sadly. "Believe me, I want to know what they're doing too, but I don't think they'd appreciate us getting in the way of something this important."
Spike took a few more steps forwards, but then he stopped.
"Unless..." he muttered. Suddenly, a grin crossed his face. He looked at Kirby, who had seemed confused with the baby dragon's sudden emotion shift. "Maybe we don't have to leave the castle at all!" he shouted excitedly.
Without warning, Spike turned and started running back towards the others, Kirby held tightly in his arms. He felt that weird sensation within his body again, but he ignored it, opting to keep running. Then before he knew it, he had ended up just in front of the entrance to the palace. That had been quicker than usual. . .
Kirby seemed to be excited, but Spike quickly shushed him.
"Quiet down dude." he said softly. "They might hear you. We're just gonna look outside and see what they're up to!" Spike grinned a bit.
He loved technicalities.
After a moment had passed, Spike hesitantly put a claw onto the door, and pushed it open slightly. He and Kirby peered outside, until he saw the rest of the friends, huddled in a group.
"Likely talking about that strange thing outside." he muttered. Kirby agreed. The two looked at the mares for what felt like ages, until finally Twilight began to ignite her horn.
"Something's happening", the pair thought as they watched the armor begin to shine with the same magical aura as Twilight's horn did. The broken mech was hoisted up into the air and Twilight began to walk in their direction, much to Spike's horror. The drake retreated a bit behind the door to prevent being spotted.
"Until we can be sure of what this is and what it's capable of, we should put it in a holding cell in the dungeon for the time being."
Spike darted to the side of the room, Kirby held tight in his arms, right before the doors swung open. One by one, Twilight and her friends entered the room, followed by Cadence and Shining Armor. The mechanical armor was suspended in the air by Twilight's magic. It shifted slightly as the group continued onward through the corridor, before disappearing around a corner. The entrance door closed, and there stood Spike, shivering nervously, while Kirby was pretty neutral to the whole event.
"D-did you hear that?" Spike whispered. "Whatever that is they're taking it to the dungeon!" Kirby looked up at Spike and nodded. A determined expression etched itself across Kirby's face. He wiggled one of his arms free of Spike's grasp and pointed forwards.
"Afta Dem!" he said.
Spike looked questioningly at the puffball in his arms before realization dawned upon him.
"Right!" he responded. With seemingly nothing in the way, Spike began to sneak after his friends.
"I just hope none of them notice us. . ." Spike thought.
It had taken a few minutes of careful traversing the palace without attraction the attention of Twilight and the others, but eventually the young pair managed to follow the mares to a crystal door guarded by two burly looking guards. The two watched as Shining armor walked up to the front and said something to them. The guards nodded and with a flash of their horns the door was opened. Spike took the time to move closer to the group, trying to stay far enough away, that they wouldn't be noticed. The girls all began to enter the room, followed by the royal ponies. Before the guards could close the door though, they noticed a familiar young drake heading towards them.
"Uh... hey fellas!" Spike started. "I'm with those ponies you just let in, so if you could please let us go in...?"
Outwardly the two guards seemed cold and unwavering, leering into the young dragon's soul. Inwardly though. . .
"Sweet Merciful Celestia, it's Spike the brave and glorious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spike watched as the guards stood there seemingly doing nothing. The if he looked close enough, he could swear they were. . . vibrating? Ultimately though, the two guards said nothing, and the door was left open, and its not like they objected...
Spike walked past the guards with Kirby in tow, wondering how in the world that had worked.
The two came to a flight of spiral stairs. The two descended, wondering what this dungeon would look like. It didn't take too long for them to find out.
It was dim, but there was still the unmistakable shine of crystal walls down here. The walls formed into a long corridor with a surprisingly high ceiling that was covered in crystal stalactites. Every now and then along both sides of the corridor, the walls would cave inwards, forming a small jail cell that was blocked by crystal bars that rose from the ground to the ceiling.
Spike and Kirby looked around a bit, before heading down the long hall. Most of the cells were empty, but occasionally the two would walk past one that housed a creature, such as a changeling. Spike would quicken his pace if they passed an occupied cell, but would soon slow down again as to not make too much noise. Kirby stayed silent throughout, only looking around. As he looked at each cell though, something occurred to him.
"These are some strange jail cells." he thought. There was no door to any of these rooms, only bars of crystal. If someone was sent here, how exactly would they put the criminal inside?
It wasn't long before the two caught up to the rest of their friends. Spike stopped a fair distance away.
"Rats!" he huffed quietly. "We can't get too much closer without running the risk of exposing ourselves. . ."
He was right. the floor was wide open, and there was nothing to hide behind. It was likely that the only reason they hadn't already been spotted was due to the dim lighting. Spike tried inching forwards, but he would only go so far before inching his way back.
"Dang it, what are we gonna do now?" he muttered idly.
Kirby rolled Spikes question around him mind, before something clicked within.
Kirby opened his mouth wide and began to intake air, slowly as not to make a lot of noise. Spike never noticed anything odd, until he realized that Kirby had begun to weigh less and less in his arms.
"Huh? Kirb, what are you?" he questioned, but he never got to finish.
Kirby wriggled his arms free of Spike's hold, and began to flap. Kirby acesnded a small bit, before he felt the weight of spike begin to resist.
He didn't give up though.
He flapped harder, and sure enough, Spike began to leave the ground.
Spike was surprised, but forced himself to clench his mouth shut. They WERE sneaking around after all, wouldn't want to blow their cover after making it this far.
"Huh." he thought, "So Like twilight said, he puffs himself up and floats like a balloon in order to fly." Spike slowly relaxed his grip and allowed himself to slide down Kirby's body before reaching his feet. Spike tightened his grip here and there he stayed, dangling from Kirby's feet as he ascended.
The two continued to rise upwards a bit, before Kirby slowed down his flapping, stopping his ascent and entering into a slightly strained hover. The pair were now above their friends by a fair amount, and judging by a lack of scolding, they hadn't been spotted.
"Sweet!" Spike softly cheered. "They haven't spotted us!" He looked upwards to Kirby, who was still flapping to keep their altitude stable. "Do you think you can get us closer to them?"
Kirby couldn't really respond, so he simply began to float himself closer toward their friends. As he drew closer, their words became clearer and more defined.
"Are yah sure that this is the best thing tah do Twilight? We don't really know what it even is for certain!"
"I'm positive Applejack. Until we know more about it, it's best we isolate it for the time being. For all we know, it might even be a creature that got caught by that weird metallic surface growing around outside!"
*Gasp* "Ohhhhh I don't - I hope that's not the case. oh i don't feel so good."
"Oh dear, there goes Fluttershy. Honestly Twilight, you should have a little more tact around her sometimes! You know how she takes things of that matter!
"Sorry!"
Spike and Kirby watch as the ponies chatted among themselves for a bit. Eventually Twilight charged her horn. The two watched as the armor, which had been set down on the floor, disappeared in a flash, only to reappear inside the cell that the group was standing in front of.
Kirby suddenly felt satisfied.
"Alright then." Twilight spoke up, "Until further notice, we'll leave this down here until we deal with whatever is causing the havoc outside. Then we can try to solve this mystery."
Rainbow snorted.
"I dunno, are you suuuuure you don't want to swap the order of those things egghead?" the speedster chuckled.
The lavender unicorn blushed slightly and everyone (minus Spike and Kirby) joined in with light laughter.
When they were done, the group began to travel back the way they had came.
With the threat of being discovered fading away, Kirby began to lower both Spike and himself to the floor. Spike felt his claws clink against the ground, and letting himself sigh in relief he let go of Kirby.
"Alright dude, we did it!" He said, happily. Kirby responded with a joyous "Poyo!" The two turned to the cell the housed the mech. Though it was darker than it was outside, they could see it much clearer without the ponies getting in the way.
Spike walked up to the bars and Kirby followed him.
"It looks so. . . alien." said the drake. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He couldn't help but stare at the heap that lay before him.
He was drawn from the sight by feeling a tap on his body. Looking over he saw Kirby looking at him.
"Tats Wobobot Armore." the puff said, pointing at the pile of metal.
Spike was confused at first, but then realized just what the puff saying that likely meant.
"Wait. . . you know what that thing is?" questioned Spike. Kirby smiled at him, and nodded.
Spike stared at Kirby, then he chuckled, which soon evolved into full blown laughter. Kirby was startled and tried to get him to calm down, lest Twilight and the others heard them.
P-poyo!"
But Spike continued to laugh. He didn't know why it tickled him so, but it did. Here was Twilight, trying her hardest to find answers to so many different things that were going on. She had confidence that she and her friends would be able to solve whatever was going on and put things back to normal. But she was also ignoring the one being who likely held the knowledge she needed to piece everything together!
By now, Spike was starting to calm down, and Kirby had stopped panicking as there had been no signs of anyone returning to investigate the sound.
Spiike had begun to think hard about Twilight's actions.
"The princess wouldn't have sent Kirby along if he was of no help, so why did she treat him like a burden?" he pondered this, but no matter what, he couldn't find any explanation that satisfied him. Eventually he simply gave up, returning his attention to the object in front of him.
"Alright then Kirby." he said at last. "Since you know what that is, what should we do with it?"
Kirby responded swiftly.
"Fix!"
"Fix?" The dragon repeated. "As in, repair?" Kirby nodded, happily. Spike looked back at the heap in front of him. It looked pretty beat up. He didn't have the faintest clue on how they would go about fixing this thing!
"Um... how exactly do we fix it?" he asked.
Kirby seemed to ponder his question for a moment, then Kirby seemed to light up. He made his way over to the cell, and began to press himself against the crystal bars. Spike simply watch in a stunned silence, until his mind began to comprehend the scene in front of him.
"Kirby what are you-?"
He didn't get to finish his question. Spike watched as Kirby flattened himself, and wedged his ways through the bars and into the cell. Kirby shook himself a bit, before turning back to Spike and waving as if to say. "Come on!"
Spike stood there a bit, before shaking his head,
"Uh dude, I can't do that. Not exactly flexible enough."
Kirby seemed puzzled, but soon came back through the bars.
"Sorry buddy." the drake apologized. "Honestly I could chew through these bars, but I wouldn't want to get in trouble, and its likely that there are spells to detect if damage is dealt to the cell."
Spike sighed.
"I guess i'll just have to sit this one out too." he muttered.
Kirby's expression fell. He never liked seeing anybody sad, but when it was a friend who was sad that absolutly unacceptable. So he bagn trying to think of way to get him to the other side. He ran a few ideas in him mind, but none of them seemed to work . . . . . .
well. . .
none of them except for one. . .
Kirby walked up to the young drake who had plopped down on the floor, sulking. He placed an arm on the drakes back. Spike was brought out of his moping through the sudden contact. He looked up to a nervous looking Kirby.
"Um... dude? are... you okay?" he asked.
Kirby just shuffled.
"I- . . . . ideya?..." stammered the puff.
"Idea?" spike corrected.
Kirby nodded.
Well. . . what is it?"
Kirby sighed, and then open his mouth. Wide.
Spike stared at his companion for a while at the odd display, unsure what the puff was attempting to convey. Kirby pointed into his mouth, and then the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Too bad it wasn't a nice image to go with.
"Not gonna happen dude." Spike deadpanned.
Kirby sighed and shut his mouth. He couldn't say that he hadn't tried. The puff just walked back towards the cell and pressed his way back inside. Approaching the piece of invader armor, he took in the familiar piece of tech. He hoped up onto it and peered inside the cockpit. It seemed the controls were still intact at least. With nothing left to lose, Kirby hopped inside of the mech.
The machine began to whir. To Kirby this was normal so far. To Spike it was unexpected.
"W-Whats happening?" he questioned.
"Poyo!" Kirby called out as he looked over the controls with a determined expression.
Spike was still worried, but seeing how his new friend, didn't seem worried in the slightest, calmed down a bit.
The mech began to whir louder. Smoke began to billow from the exhaust pipes in the back. Sparks crackled around the machine as parts of it began to shift color and appearance. Kirby, having seen enough, shut the machine down. The whirring died down and the machine shifted back to its former appearance. The dungeon was silent.
Kirby hopped out and squeezed outside of the cell. Spike was jogged over and was quick to ask questions.
"What happened?" he started "Did it do something important?" Kirby simply shook his head.
"Bwoken. "Need nu pawts. . ."
"Parts?" the dragon sounded out. Kirby nodded in confirmation.
The drake was disappointed, though he felt somewhat satisfied. Whatever this thing was supposed to do, Kirby knew what it was, and had even managed to make it do something. Far more than what could be said of Twilight. Still, as Kirby had said, it was apparently busted and would need new parts to fix.
"Well we certainly tried, Kirby." Spike consoled. "But hey! It you knew what that thing was, and it need parts to fix it, maybe we can find find some somewhere. Surely it can be the only one out there, right?"
Kirby face became neutral, then a smile burst across his face.
"Poyo!"
Of course! He knew for a fact that the armored suits were mass produced for Haltmann's Army, so there would likely be plenty of opportunities to find parts for it. Who knows, perhaps they would even find a fully intact suit out there somewhere!
Spike watched as Kirby began bouncing around with excitement. He was glad to see the puff so upbeat. But he soon turned his attention back down the corridor.
"Come on, Kirby." he beckoned. "We'd best head back up. There doesn't seem to be anything else we can do down here for now." Kirby had stopped bouncing and looked at Spike a bit, before nodding. He walked up to Spike, and together the two of them began walking towards the exit.
The two friends had left the dungeon, but curiously the two guards were no where to be seen.
"Hmm, that's kinda strange." Spike thought to himself. "Guards don't usually leave their position unless its a shift change, but their post wouldn't be left unattended."
As the two wandered towards the throne room, they kept hearing loud sounds, that made them feel rather uneasy. It didn't help that there weren't many other guards around.
"Kirby, I have a bad feeling about this." spike muttered. Kirby nodded in agreement. As they rounded a corner, a pink blur shot past them, catching them by surprise!
"Whoa!"
"Waaa!"
The pink figure rapidly slowed down to a halt, revealing that it was a rather worried Cadence. Upon laying eyes on the two, she seemed rather relieved and heaved out a sigh.
"Spike! Kirby! Oh thank Celestia you two are safe!"
This brought worry upon the two.
"Princess C-cadence!?" Spike stuttered, "wWhats going on? Why do you look so nervous?"
Suddenly, there was what sounded like an explosion, and the whole of the Crystal Castle seemed to shake. Spike lost his footing, but Kirby managed to stay upright.
Cadeence looked down the hallway in a panic, but then turned her attention back to the pair.
"Come on, we have to get you two to the throne room! We're under attack by a monster!
Spike was shocked. A monster attacking the Crystal Empire was almost unheard of! The main big bad that had was King Sombra, and he had been dealt with already! Whoever or WHATever that was attacking must be crazy powerful! He didn't have time to think about it much further before he heard Kirby pipe up.
"Poyo!" he shouted and charged away. Princess Cadence was caught off guard, she wasn't expecting Kirby to run away!
"Hey wait!" she called out. "We need to stick together! It isn't safe right now! Cadence spread her wings and flew off after him. Spike stood still, before realizing he was being left behind.
"H-hey! Wait for me!" he shouted after them, before giving chase to the two pink blurs.
Kirby was ahead, but Cadence was swiftly catching up. As the two barreled down the corridors, the there were sounds of fighting, and magic. Kirby followed the sounds as best he could, until he felt something scoop him up. Cadence had managed to catch him!
"Kirby please, we need to get you to the throne room immediately!" she said in a stern tone. Kirby responded by struggling against her. Cadence was surprised by how much resistance, the puff was giving her as she struggled to keep him within her grasp.
"Poyo Poyo!" he responded, Still struggling against Cadence. Soon they both could hear something approach behind them, Spike had finally managed to catch up to them.
"Cadence, wait!" the drake panted. "I know. . . It doesn't seem like the best idea, but. . . let him go!" Cadence look surprised, but was quick to shake her head.
"Spike, no! It's far too dangerous!" She nearly shouted. "Whatever this being is, its incredibly powerful! Its best that we take you to the throne room so you two can wait it out!" Before either Kirby or Spike could protest, Cadence's horn flared to life, enveloping the two of them. Then with a flash, the pair were teleported to the throne room. They had barely begun to register their new surroundings before they were tackled, startling the both of them.
"Spike!"
"Kirby!"
The two opened their eyes to find they were surrounded by the other mares. Rarity and Twilight had tackled Spike, while Fluttershy had scooped Kirby into her forelegs and was hugging him tightly. The others stood close by, seemingly relieved that the two were there.
"Thank Celestia you two are safe!" Rarity sighed, hugging Spike tightly. The drake was too happy to really respond, stuttering with a grin on his face.
"Where in the hay have you two been!?" Twilight questioned. "We were looking for you when the alarm went up!" This brought Spike out of his daze for a little bit.
"U-uuh the Kitchen!" he blurted out! "Yeah! Kirby here had said he felt hungry, so. . . we went looking for something to eat. Heh heh. . ."
Most of the others could tell it was a lie, but they were too glad to see him safe so they let it go.
"Well as long as you two are safe, that's all that matters at the moment." Rarity said, releasing Spike much to his disappointment. "For now we should wait here for the time being, until the guard bring things under control."
Rainbow dash snorted.
"Please Rarity!" She waved, "We should be out there helping! We aren't just some random group of ponies! We'e the Elements of Harmony! We've seen our fair share of battles and whatever, we know what we're doing!"
"Ah agree!" Applejack spoke up. "The six of us have fought many things in our lives and we've come out right as rain to tell the tale! We shouldn't be cooped up in here!" Twilight groaned in frustration.
"True Applejack we have faced many threats before, and likely we still will as the bearers of Elements of Harmony." Twilight began, "But we have to follow protocol! The guards don't want any other lives being put at risk, so unless the fight is brought to us, we have to stay here for now!"
"Ughh!" Rainbow moaned, throwing her hooves in the air. "Fine! We'll wait here. But I won't like it!"
Before anyone could say anything else, there was what sounded like another explosion, right outside the door. Everyone present was immediately on the defensive, fight or flight response ready at a moments notice. There were multiple shouts heard, then without warning, the door was smashed to smithereens. A guard had been blasted through the door forcefully, sailing clear across the room and smashing into the other side with a mighty impact.
"Oh no!" Twilight shouted, before she and the others ran up to check on the poor pony. He coughed, and attempted to get up, planning to jump back into battle, but found himself unable to stand.
"Hold on there pardner, you aught to take it easy for now." Applejack said firmly, trying to keep the guard from making sudden movements. The guard began coughing heavily, and before anyone could stop him, collapsed, unconscious.
Rainbow snorted with anger.
"Alright! That's it!" She shouted. "We've played bystander for far too long! Now's the time for action!" And before anyone could stop her, she flew away through the ruined doors, ready to give the enemy a beat down.
"Rainbow Dash!", her friends called after her, and they all gave chase. Kirby looked back towards the stallion, once more, before giving chasing after the group.
It wasn't long before the Rainbow discovered just what this monster had done with the Crystal Empire's forces. Injured ponies were everywhere, there were a few medical ponies treating the injured soldiers, but their progress was rather slow. Rainbow Dash didn't pay too much attention to them though, as much as she'd have like to help out, she figured it would be best to stop whatever beast they were dealing with first. Each fallen pony she passed, served to fuel her anger as she rocketed towards where the sound of battle was loudest.
Meanwhile, the rest of the gang was far behind Rainbow, but the sound of fighting was a clear indicator of where they should go.
"Come on girls!" Twilight called back to her friends. "We have to stop Rainbow! We don't know what we're dealing with here!" Of course, in their haste, none of the ponies noticed they were being followed by Spike and Kirby. The two of them were much farther, but they managed to keep up enough to keep from losing track of them.
"Oh jeez. . ." Spike whimpered, worried about the safety of his friends and himself. "This is getting to be a bit too much!"
"Poyo!" Kirby called out. Spike didn't know why, but hearing Kirby just gave him a bit more courage. He was still scared out of his wits, but the voice of his pink pal inspired him to keep going, in spite of his fear. The pair kept going, turning each corner, jumping over debris, and excusing themselves if they happened to run past an injured pony. It wasn't long before the two caught up to everyone, and the group was back together. Though one of them was currently in combat with the enemy. An enemy none of them had expected in the slightest.
An enemy, who was a gargantuan bug.
"What in tarnation!?"
"What in the world!?"
"Oh my goodness!"
"My WORD, whatever that thing is it is simply GORGEOUS!"
Everyone turned to Rarity, who blanked and then turned away sheepishly.
"Guys!" Rainbow shouted suddenly, punching the wasp in the face. "Less gawking more fighting!" That shook the rest of the girls out of their stupor. Spike turned towards Kirby and grabbed one of his nubs, pointing towards the the giant insect with his other free claw.
"Kirby!" the drake shouted frantically, "We've gotta help them out! Is there anything you can eat around here!?" Kirby didn't respond. He just stared at the bug full of shock as the rest of the girls engaged.
"Kirby?" "KIRBY!?" Spike was now shaking the puff, but Kirby didn't move at all. Spike looked around frantically to see if there was anything around him that Kirby could use. However, there weren't any big chunks of debris around like Ponyville market had, the castle's construction was quite sturdy, and the bigger chunks were far behind them, likely too big for him to move under his own power anyway. "Oh this is bad!" The drake sulked to himself.
Looking around he spotted a support pillar that hadn't been blown to pieces. Thinking quickly, he scooped Kirby into his arms and dashed behind it, placing his frozen friend behind it for cover.
"S-stay here bro!" Spike stuttered. "I-Ill go see if there's anything back where we came from that you can shoot!" With that the dragon turned heel and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, disappearing down the ruined hallways. Kirby stood still, immobilized by his own thoughts.
The giant insect that everyone was currently fighting, it wasn't just some random bug. That insect, was someone who should've been gone, someone who shouldn't even be here, someone that he had defeated only a few months or so back!
Someone, named Sectonia.
Kirby began to stir at last, his mind finally registering what he was seeing. It was Queen Sectonia! Somehow she had returned! Kirby didn't know what to think of it. By all means, this should be impossible! He had watched as the beauty obsessed queen was vaporized by her own laser beam that he had inhaled and spat back out at her a while back! How in the world could she have survived such an attack!?
Kirby watched as the Gargantuan wasp slashed at the ponies with her twin rapiers, the bug showing no remorse as the girls were forced to dodge her swings. Kirby could feel the force of them from across the room, each slash practically shaking the hallway itself. The girls were doing their best, but every so often, one of them could be heard squealing a bit having only barely dodging an attack or complaining about a tad bit of lost mane.
Suddenly, the realization that he had been watching his friends get attacked struck him. He shouldn't be sitting here doing nothing, he should be helping his friends!
Face scrunching up in determination, Kirby left his cover and bounced into battle!
"This shouldn't be too hard." he thought. He had fought her before, so that would make things easier!
... right?
VS Sectonia. . .?
Kirby launched forwards, running towards the queen as the rest of the girls were continuing to dodge the rapid swings of Sectonia's swords.
At the current moment, the massive queen was facing away from Kirby so he had the element of surprise. Kirby watched as the mighty wasp poured magic into her swords, the blades engulfed in a deep purple flame. Then with a mighty swing, the queen swung her sword towards Applejack, the farm pony dodging at the absolute last moment. The impact let loose a small star, that bounded on the floor and hovered there for a moment.
This gave the ponies pause, hadn't they seen something like this before?
Suddenly there was a shout, and before anyone could react, a pink blur shot underneath the wasp and practically tackled the star. The pink blob tumbled forwards before firing at the enemy hitting the bug square in the face with a star bullet! Kirby came to a stop just in front of Applejack, looking a tad bit shaken from the unusual maneuver
"Kirby!?" The farmpony yelped, "What are you?... Applejack trailed off, instantly realizing exactly why Kirby would be here, despite the obvious danger. "Well, no use in trying tah hold ya off. You'd probabaly just run back here if we sent yah away."
Applejack frowned. "Still, this ain't exactly the best time to be playing hero."
Looking up, she could see Rarity and Fluttershy shaking their heads, silently trying to get the farm pony to get the puff out of the area. Pinkie and Twilight were looking at the enemy, who was still reeling from the explosive star, while Rainbow was now eyeing Kirby with suspicion. Kirby simply stood up and dusted himself off.
"Me help! I fight!" He said with resolve. If his friends were going to jump into battle, there was no chance he was going to stand by and let harm come to them, not counting his brief surprise of course!
Applejack chuckled to herself. This little guy sure was stubborn, but at least he had some strength to back himself up with those fancy star attacks.
There was an unfamiliar groan and everyone was back on high alert. Facing towards the queen, the girls discovered that she had finally recovered from Kirby's star bullet, she looked down and spotted the puff. No one moved for what felt like ages. Then the beast let out a shriek, pointing one of her swords down directly towards Kirby, shaking with barely contained fury. The ponies were caught off guard, the bug had been had seemed so calm, casually attacking them as if there were nothing, but upon seeing Kirby, it seemed to become absolutely livid!
"Uh girls, I don't think it likes Kirby very much. . ." Flutteyshy whimpered. Sectonia growled, and began vibrating rapidly.
Suddenly, in a flash, she was gone. The girls barely had time to ponder before an eerie laugh filled the corridor.
"I don't like this girls. . ." Twilight said, keeping her head down a bit and looking around. "Stay close! We don't know what it could be up to." The others agreed, quickly huddling up to form a ring. The girls faced outwards as to prevent themselves from being suck up upon. Kirby hopped on top of Twilight's back, startling the unicorn and earning Kirby a glare. There was another bout of creepy laughter. Then, the over sized bug suddenly reappeared, teleporting rapidly around the group.
"There it is!" Rainbow shouted. She immediately took to the air, attempting to ram the queen. She was too slow however, the wasp had teleported just as she was to impact, causing Rainbow to nearly collide with the wall.
Seizing the opportunity, Sectonia teleported behind Rainbow with her swords raised high! The others gasped and shouted at the top of their lungs trying to warn their friend. Rainbow turned to see the bug, bringing the swords down with all the force it could muster. There was the sound of metal making an impact and a crazed laugh filled the hall. The queen peered down, trying to see the remains of her target, only to find that she had struck the wall instead.
Confused she looked around, only to be sent tumbling by Rainbow a moment later.
"Sorry!" the speedster shouted, grinning wide. "Ya gotta be faster than that if you wanna take me down!"
The tyrant came to a stop, glaring at the pony, before teleporting a distance away. She appeared just at the end of the hallway. Glaring with fury at everyone. She lifted her hands upwards and began waving them. Bright pink runes began appearing in the air all around the group.
The ponies tensed up, not knowing what to expect. Kirby however, looked at the size of the runes and immediately knew what was to happen. He jumped off of Twilight's back and immediately began to inhale. Just as he started, large armor wearing ants began falling out of the runes. Two of the largest ones happened to fall close to him, and they fell right into the vortex, getting sucked up almost immediately. Kirby, upon feeling the two antlers enter his mouth, immediately swallowed, feeling the familiar feeling of . . . . Nothing?
Kirby inspected his body, feeling the top of his head, looking at his skin.
Nothing had changed. He didn't understand! The large Antlers the queen summoned always gave the fire ability! What was suddenly the issue now?!
As Kirby frantically began inspecting his body the rest of the group stared at him, with various feelings expressed on their muzzles.
"H-he ate them. . ." Twilight stuttered. The unicorn felt her legs grow weak. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Nor could the others. Kirby always bloated up whenever he had something in his mouth, and whenever he swallowed his body would shrink back down again. He had clearly just swallowed two live creatures like it was nothing!
"See!?" I told you he was a monster!" Rainbow accused, sharply pointing a hoof towards Kirby. "When is it going to be us huh?!" It's only a matter of time until he gets bigger! Then what?!" The others didn't respond, they just stared at Kirby.
Meanwhile, Sectonia watched as the antlers began causing mindless destruction around the room, as usual the royal grunts were useless, wandering aimlessly and hardly even paying the enemy any mind. She sighed internally.
Looks like she'd have to do things herself.
The massive insect readied her swords and charged towards the group.
Kirby, not seeing any point of keeping free ammo unused closed his eyes and reached into his copy palate. It barely took him any time at all to locate the two mooks as he had only just inhaled them. He reached out and wind began to swirl within the endless void. the two antler were then whisked upwards disappearing into the distance above.
On the outside, Kirby bloated, catching the ponies off guard. They backed up a tad, unsure of what the puffs motives were at this point. Kirby opened his eyes, seeing the queen charging at them at full speed. The puff scrunched his eyes and fired the star bullet. As he had inhaled a bit more than usual, the star he fired was bigger then normal. Two stars rocketed towards the charging queen, who had been caught off guard. She barely had time to block before the stars collided, pushing her back a bit. She soon found her strength however and eventually sent the big star upwards. The repelled bullet rocketed skyward, tearing through the castle as if it were paper. It soon tore through the roof, where it promptly ran out of energy and dissipated. Two figures fell out of the remains of the energy bullets, plummeting down to the ground below.
Sectonia laughed, taunting the puff by swinging her swords around. However, Kirby was staring too hard at the wasp to really notice.
Something was off about the queen. Personality wise, she seemed exactly the same as the last time he fought her, but something just didn't feel right about her, and the puff just couldn't put his mouth around it! He looked queen up and down and stopped at her chest plate.
Her heart shaped chest plate.
Her broken, halved, color shifting chestplate. . .
Everything fell into place after that. It explained why the queen wasn't talking. Her voice was as gurgly as the Dedede clone from before, and with her obsession with vanity, she probably decided to refrain from talking speech until she "got better." But it raised some questions.
How did the Haltmann Works Company manage to clone Queen Sectonia? Last he'd checked, vaporization didn't exactly leave. . . what did Tiff call it. . . D.M.A? . . to be recovered for that sort of thing! That made him worry. If they had managed to bring the queen back, what else could they replicate? They HAD traveled across the galaxy according to Susie, who knew what manner of creature they could have run into!
Kirby looked at the Sectonia clone, who had seemed to have finished her taunts and was ready to attack again. Kirby readied his stance once more, and prepared for battle. He looked into the eyes of Sectonia and Sectonia glared at him in return.
Kirby had to admit, that the clone was of much better quality than the Dedede clones from before, Sectonia actually looked like the real deal, you'd have to watch closely to notice that anything was off at all! The two Popstarians stared at each other for a few moments longer before they charged at each other, ready to put the other down, for real this time.
The ponies however were still reeling a bit, they watched as Kirby began to duke it out with their massive foe. Twilight was the first to speak up.
"O-okay." she stuttered. "I really just don't know about Kirby anymore. But like it or not. Love him, hate him, or feelings in between, Kirby shares a common enemy with us, and regardless of what happens, we need to protect the Crystal Empire!"
"Right!" rainbow piped up. "First we take out that oversized bug, and then we take care of the marshmallow!"
"There were a few objections to Rainbow Dash's statement, but the ongoing battle son shook them out of their argument. Battle first, deal with Kirby later they all though, though they all had different meanings when it came to dealing with Kirby. The girls stared at the enemy and when the Kirby and the Sectonia clone passed by, they all rushed her, jumping into the battle.
Meanwhile. . .
Spike was running as hard as he could, frantically looking for something, ANYTHING, that could help Kirby out in the battle. He'd ran down several different corridors, throwing doors open left and right, hoping to find something of use within one of the rooms. Unfortunately, most of the things he had found, he had deemed too unusable, whether he figured it was too dangerous, like a set of knives, or too oddly shaped, he didn't think Kirby could inhale a mop or broom.
"Come on!" he panted, frustrated that he couldn't find anything useful. As he rounded a corner, he came across another door. "Hopefully this one actually has something of use!" he said to himself. He skidded to a halt in front of the door and flung it open. He quickly scanned the room, looking for anything that could fuel Kirby's star bullets. Just as he was about to take off in search of another room, he spotted a dusty cardboard box hidden underneath a table. He strode over to it and peered inside. There were various mirrors within it. They were old and dusty, but shifting them around showed that none of them were broken in any way! Spike jumped with happiness.
"Alright!" He cheered. "This ought to do just fine!"
He picked up the box and almost ran out the door, when the loudest explosion heard so far sounded. Spike nearly lost his balance. Whatever made that sound, it sounded like it had really done a number to the castle. Spike decided that he should get a move on. He peeked outside the room in case there was any danger, and when he saw there was none, he charged back the way he came, box of mirrors in tow.
Kirby and the girls quickly found themselves growing frustrated with their adversary. The Sectonia clone was far more complete than the Dedede clone ever was, and her battle power and endurance certainly proved that. Though she did lose some substance that made her body when hit with a particularly nasty attack, she never broke apart into mini Sectonias or anything like that. She just grew more and more ferocious with her attacks, forcing Kirby and the others to lessen their offence in favor of defense. Though they were all fighting the same enemy, Kirby was the only one to really notice anything else off with Sectonia.
Queen Sectonia used swords for combat, that much was true, but she was mainly a magic user, rarely ever actually using her swords at all. Yet despite all the time they had spent fighting this clone, she had yet to show her magical prowess.
This made Kirby uneasy. He dodged another flurry of sword strikes before jumping back, inhaling the star that was sent before him and spitting it right back at the false tyrant. She was a direct hit, but she seemed rather unfazed and teleported away. She appeared a distance away from everyone and dispelled her swords.
"Heh!" Rainbow snorted. "Are you finally giving up?" The clone didn't respond. A large golden ring formed around the queen, its intricate design catching the eyes of everypony present, but also confusing them. Kirby however grew worried. Without warning, the clone shot threw a hand forwards. The ring shined for an instant, before a duplicate of the ring shot forwards.
It just barely fit down the hallway as it barreled towards everyone. Anything that was in its path was sawed cleanly in half, giving everyone great incentive to NOT be hit by it.
"Everypony Run!" Fluttershy shrieked, running full tilt in the opposite direction.
There was nothing else to be said, everyone charged down the hallway away from the giant ring of death. The clone laughed, and fired more rings. They dug into the walls and the floor as they chased the ponies down the corridor. Just as they were about to hit them though, the group turned the corner. The Golden rings kept going, ramming into the wall, where they promptly faded away.
Everyone was breathing heavily.
"Y'all *huff* alright?" Applejack panted. Everyone nodded. they were out of breathe, but at least they were able to take in another one. Rainbow flew closer toward the ground, she was the only one who wasn't really bothered by their dash for dear life.
"Come on guys. We're better than this!" She shouted "We can't lose to some, blown up insect!"
"R-rainbow. . .*pant* we're trying!" Twilight gasped." We've been hitting it with everything we have! It's really tenacious, it just won't give in!" Twilight slumped down a bit more. "It doesn't help that *hoo* its attacking with actual weapons! It wouldn't take too much *haa* to do serious damage to us!
"Twilight's right *hoof* darling!" Rarity gasped. "Why if one of those swords were to get too close to us, or our manes!!... Her eyes bugged at the the idea. "It would be absolutely awful, dreadful, ATROCIOUS. It would be THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!"
Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes.
Fluttershy soon squeaked something.
"Err, sorry fluttershy, wut was that?" Applejack questioned.
"I said we need to get Kirby out of here!" Fluttershy shouted, catching the group by surprise.
"Fluttershy! Wut do yah--"
"It's far too dangerous for him to be here!" The yellow pegasus interrupted. "Sure he manged to help us beat the monster back in Ponyville, I could look past that! But this thing is actually one of the deadliest enemies we've ever fought! It uses weapons, it knows magic, and it's shown to be really clever! Kirby shouldn't be here at ALL!"
Everyone was silent at her outburst, Kirby especially. Everyone just stared at her, silence falling upon the group.
Then there was the whirr of magic and Surprise!, the Sectonia clone appeared above the group, laughing haughtily. Everyone jumped, having completely forgotten that they were battling the beast in the first place. Everyone got into battle stances. But Fluttershy. . .
"NO I won't HAVE IT!"
In a move that shocked everyone, the yellow pegasus flew up towards the clone and stared directly into her eyes. The clone was caught off guard and had readied an attack, but as soon as it locked eyes with Fluttershy it seemed to freeze in place still as a statue.
"Now you listen here!" She boomed "We have been summoned out here by our fair princesses to help solve a problem that is destroying the land around us! And yet here you are, not only prolonging us from finding the solution, but hurting all my friends in the process! I will not stand for this! What would your friends think? What would your parents think!? You should be ASHAMED of yourself!"
"Fluttershy's tirade gave the clone pause. There weren't any parents that she could remember, like. . . at all. But friends. . . that word made its false heart feel something. As the clone pondered this, Fluttershy stare was still in effect.
"Well?" she questioned the clone. Waiting for some kind of response. But the clone didn't respond, its just hovered there, frozen on the spot.
Before anything else could happen though, there was a voice.
"Kirby!" Everyone turn and looked, towards the sound of the voice. The ponies watched in horror as Spike was running toward them carrying a box with him.
"Friends. . . . "
Spike grinned. Despite the chewing out he was definitely gonna receive later on, he had been useful! He had found a good amount of things Kirby could use to fight! That could help! Right?
"Friends. . . . . no. Friend.
"Spike! What are you doing here!? its far too dangerous!!!"
"I brought something Kirby could use for those stars he spits, it could help!"
What happened next, no one expected. One moment it had seemed that Fluttershy had the monster subdued by her stare, thee next moment it was letting loose a feral sounding battle cry that they had never heard it make until now. The swords morphed into scepters, and with a glare that could melt diamond, tried to crash them down atop Fluttershy's head. The pegasus was thankfully tackled out of the way by Rainbow Dash at the last moment.
But the clone continued to fall, bringing the scepters into the ground. Large red crystals were sent hurtling down the hall. Caught so off guard, the grounded ponies were unable to react in time, and Kirby, having never seen this attack before, didn't have time to process it. The crystals slammed into all of them, knocking them down the hallway at great speed.
Spike who had been running in their direction, tried to stop, but his momentum, tripped him up and he fell, inadvertently tossing the box he had in his grasp. It managed to fly over the crystal wall, and with a sickening crunch, heard a multitude of the mirrors within the box shatter. He din't have time to feel bad as the crystals reached slammed into him, throwing him down the hallway and into the pile of ponies, and one puff, that were now lying there. The crystals soon faded away, leaving nothing behind.
Kirby was the first to shake himself off, followed by Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and finally Twilight. As they oriented themselves Rainbow and Fluttershy flew over.
"Guys are you alright!?" Rainbow asked frantically.
"Well it weren't the best feeling in the world, Rainbow." Applejack groaned, her words dripping with sarcasm. "But i suppose that I have felt worse."
"Ya know, if it weren't for the anger, and pain, and overall unpleasantness that evil mystery bug gave us, that could've been really fun! Pinkie piped up. The others looked at he a bit before discussing their next move.
Noticing that no one else was paying him any attention, Spike tried to slink away, but was soon halted by an aura of magic grabbing him by his scaly ear.
"And just WHERE do you you think you're going mister?! Twilight seethed.
"Uh.. Uh!" Spike panicked, looking around for anything that would get him out of trouble. However, ans he looked around he saw Kirby standing up approaching the monster. "H-Hey! Kirby!" He called out. "What are you doing?!
The others turned and looked, with shock, horror, or annoyance that Kirby was approaching the Queen who, seemed to be radiating pure anger. He stopped a bit away, peering at all the broken mirrors on the ground. Shards lay everywhere, it would probably be a nightmare to walk across them.
Good thing that was never his intention!
Everyone, even Rainbow Dash watched in horror as Kirby performed his signature move. The wind picked up, and everything light began to dart towards his mouth. In this case though, it was broken mirror shards.
To Spike and the ponies, its was like watching a carriage wreck in slow motion. They watched as the shard hurtled through the air towards Kirby's open maw. Twilight and Rarity lit their horns up, extending their magic to try and catch them all, but it was hard to catch the reflective shards when they played with the light as they did, despite their best efforts they watched as the remaining shards entered Kirby's mouth at high speed. . . . . \
But. . . they was no screams of pain, no shouts of anguish, not even so much as a grunt of discomfort for the puff. They could see small points outlining the puffs body and that made them quite uncomfortable, but aside frm that, Kirby didn't seem bothered a bit.
Kirby didn't respond. He didn't even turn to face the pony. Then he swallowed the shards. His body began to glow brightly, light seeming to dance within him. Small stars began to circle his body and a sky blue and. . . .purple. . . jester hat adorned his head. A small mirror was in the center of it. His skin became paler,becoming a faint pink almost appearing white. Then with a flash, bang, and a small jingle that seemed to come out of thin air, Kirby's transformation was complete.
Everyone stared at the puff ball for what felt like an eternity. no one dared to speak, no one dared to move. The events that transpired was unforseen by everyone except Kirby and the faux queen, though even she seemed puzzled by this change of attire.
But that didn't last long. The Sectonia clone was at its wits end. This needed to end here and now. She readied her swords and charged, engulfing them with bright purple flames. The ponies didn't expect this and were caught unprepared.
But Kirby had been ready.
Raising his arms, he felt the energy of his copy ability flow through him.
"Hiiiiyyy-YA!"
With a battle cry that none of his equine (or drake) friends would've expected from him, Kirby thrust his arms forwards. A bright rainbow light flared to life in front of him, before shaping into a translucent round shield in front of him. The queen struck. . . but to the shook of everyone, Kirby stopped her in his tracks, only being slid back a couple of feet. Somehow, this small puff, was holding back a beast many, MANY times his size! With another cry, Kirby poured powering into his makeshift shield. A multitude of reflective shards shot out of it. Being so close, the clone was assaulted by the projectiles, forcing her to retreat away from close range. Kirby kept up his Reflect Force attack., until the queen had gotten out of range.
"W-Wha. . .W. . B-. " Kirby heard stuttering and turned around to look at his pals. Every single one of them were shocked. Their pupils were almost invisible they were so small. Twilight seemed to be one stuttering too.
"Poyo?"
The was a growl, and Kirby turned back to see the mad queen, readying another attack, this time a magic one as she had her scepters out at the moment.
Twilight could wait, right now, he had a fight to finish.
Kirby readied his stance, ready for any possible attack that the queen could throw at him. The two stood still, ready to end their feud, once and for all!
Without warning, the clone shot an intense bolt of black lighting towards the newly transformed Kirby. The puff barely had time to avoid the attack, bouncing away at the last moment. The energy from the blast rocked the room with its sheer power, and when it ceased the ground where it had struck was burned deep. The false queen readied her scepters again to fire another lightning bolt, but Kirby was quick on the draw this time around.
He flicked an arm outwards and another volley of mirror shards shot forth, dealing damage to the tyrant. However Kirby was forced to move when Sectonia disappeared in a flash, reappearing behind him with swords in hand. She began to thrust the swords rapidly in Kirby's direction, her hands moving so quickly they were leaving after-images. Kirby dodged and rolled as best as he could to avoid the devastating attack. As he made another jump back, the clone stopped thrusting her swords, and readied a cross slash. Kirby wasn't quick enough.
Much to the horror of everyone else, the clone sliced Kirby directly.
"KIRBY!!!" Spike cried out, shaken from his stupor by seeing the horror before him.
The rest of the group soon came back to reality as well, watching as Kirby fell to the ground. It was almost in slow motion, his eyes were wide, and he had a deep gash that ran directly down the middle of his face, right between his eyes. None of them could do a thing, they could only watch as the pale puff fell ever closer to the ground.
But it never came to pass.
Kirby's body began to flicker in and out of existence, before disappearing entirely just before he touched the ground, much to the confusion of everyone.
"Poyo!"
An instant later, there was a burst of reflective shards behind the clone, and Kirby popped back into reality, completely unharmed! The false Sectonia barely had time to register what was happening before Kirby fired a far more intense version of Reflect Force. The shards were clustered closer together and came out of his arms at once. The clone was launched back a great distance, taking quite a bit of damage.
The tyrant hurtled down the hallway, buzzing her wings furiously to slow herself down. Just as she was coming to a stop though, she was suddenly blinded by a gooey substance. She hastily wiped her face of the offending substance, but just as she was able to see again she was blinded by something else. A storm of objects began pelting the clone's body forcing her to conjure a few crystals to defend.
"Take that you big meanie pants!" Pinkie cried out. She held her party cannon in her hooves and was preparing to fire another wave of baked goods at the enemy.
Kirby watched with interest as the queen was covered in more and more sweets. Seeing how his enemy was . . . preoccupied . . . Kirby decided to go for a different attack. He raised an arm upwards, and his mirror wand materialized in his grasp. Pouring energy into the wand, it began to glow, before a beam of energy rose from the crystal, turning the wand into an energy blade of sorts. With a battle cry Kirby charged towards his blinded opponent. He leaped into the air and brought the false blade down.
A direct hit!
The clone howled in pain, clutching where Kirby had struck. Kirby followed up his attack with another slash, followed by another, and another! Kirby was rapidly dealing damage to the clone, each slash with Mirror Cut bringing him closer to victory.
However, Sectonia wouldn't go down without a fight.
The clone teleported away, appearing down the hallway once more. Four small golden rings materialized at her sides, and with a wave of her disembodied hands, the rings shot forwards, homing in on the puff. Before he could make any sort of maneuver though, a bright blue and pink barrier swirled into existence before him. The rings shattered upon contact with the shield. Sectonia groaned in fury but paused. Kirby was distracted with something.
Kirby himself was confused. He hadn't made any more barriers yet, so who or what could've...?"
"Cease and Desist!" a loud voice called out. Everyone turned towards the sound of the voice. Standing at the other end of the hall, was Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, with a handful of crystal guards standing behind them!
"I don't know who or what you may be." Shining began, "but those who'd hurt my sister, her friends, or civilians tread a burning tightrope over Tartarus with me." The Royal pony bore a deep scowl. "This is your final warning! Stop your attacks willingly, or we will bring you down by force!"
The clone stared at the royal pony before scoffing, summoning her scepters as she did so. She raised them over her head, the gems at the tips starting to glow and crackle with energy.
"Your choice!" Shining shouted over the hum of energy. With that, the Prince and the guards began their assault, firing magic bolts towards the gargantuan bug. Sectonia, in turn, fired her own. The projectiles collided into each other, peppering the hallway with magical explosions. With the beast preoccupied, Cadence took the opportunity to cast a teleportation spell, popping over to Kirby's side of the room. Before the puff could protest, she had scooped him up her magical aura and was running down the hallway towards Twilight and her friends.
"Twilight? Twilight are you alright?!" Cadence called out, skidding to a halt just in front of the lavender unicorn. Surprisingly, the unicorn was able to mutter a response.
"I-i---i guess." Twilight murmured, her eyes not quite leaving the puff the Princess of Love was still levitating. Cadence sighed in a bit of relief, before setting Kirby down, but not quite letting up on her hold of him. The puff was struggling, trying his best to head back into the fight.
"I don't understand!" Cadence said to no one in particular, "Why is Kirby so adamant about fighting? Sure, I get that he wants to help, anypony would, but with his condition he should be as far away from this scene as possible!" This got the rest of the group's attention.
"Errr. . . . condition?" Rarity questioned, wondering if she had heard the princess right. "Princess Cadence, whatever do you mean? Do you happen to know something about Kirby that we do not?" This seemed to confuse the princess further.
"W-what? You mean you weren't told?" Cadence stammered. "Princess Luna's letter said that Kirby might know more about everything that was happening, but said that he may be in an unstable mental state. Something about his dreams showing impossibilities or something along those lines."
"POYO!"
Kirby's unexpected shout caught the attention of the group. Looking down at the puff, he seemed pretty steamed, probably taking offense to what Cadence had said, but he also seemed to be pointing at something. Looking in the direction he was pointing, the ponies noticed that the clone was now winning the battle between the guard and itself. Multiple ponies were down, leaving only Shining and a few others. Cadence gasped.
"Oh no!" she yelled, and she charged towards the beast, flaring her horn up with magic. Everyone watched as the princess drew closer to the unaware beast. Then with a shout, Cadence fired a beam of magic, hitting the beast in the back. The clone gasped, faltering in its magic barrage.
This brief hesitation was all the remaining guards needed.
They renewed their attacks, firing at the bug with as much force as they could muster. Caught in the middle of two powerful attacks, the clone could only wail in pain, writhing around as the beams slowly began to eat away at its body. The ponies were gritting their teeth, using this much power was a massive strain. The clone was shifting color rapidly, looking less like the real Sectonia and more like the Dedede clone from before.
"T-they might actually do it!" Spike exclaimed. "They've got it on the ropes!"
Everyone watched with baited breath as the clone grew more and more unstable. Its form began to warp and stretch, and the howls it uttered became more and more grotesque, sounding nothing at all like the somewhat elegant voice it had before. However, the guards were reaching their limit. The other guards backing Shining Armor up fell to the ground, magical exhaustion finally catching up to them. Shining and Cadence were the only two left currently attacking the beast.
With less strain being put on its body, the clone began to bubble, its form slowly beginning to return to its original shape.
Seeing this, the two royals tried to pick up the slack, but they were already pushing themselves to the limit.
"T-Twilight!" Shining managed to grunt, "Get your friends, Spike, and Kirby out of here now! I don't know how much longer we can hold it down for now!"
"W-what?! No way, we can't just leave you here!" She yelled back. The others cried out in agreement, all agreeing with their friend.
"This isn't up for debate!" Shining growled through his teeth, clenching his eyes shut. "You need to go! It isn't safe here! I know you care for both of use but you need to find a place to hide so we can think of something!"
Twilight frantically looked around, unable to think clearly through everything that had happened. She was torn, she knew she could stay and help, but what if that was the wrong choice? Things have been far too hectic, she needed a plan, but there was no time for planning, everything was just thrust upon her! Oh, what to do, what to do, WHAT TO--!
"Poyo!"
Twilight looked down towards the voice. Kirby was looking directly at her. He turned towards the battle and made what looked like a throwing motion, before turning back to Twilight and poking his forehead.
"Thwo me!" he said at last.
Twilight looked confused, looking back and forth between the puff and her brother and Cadence. Wasn't there anything else she could do? There were so many things that could go wrong here, there had to be a better- - -.
"Oh for Pete's SAKE Twilight!" Spike called out. Before anyone could object, Spike scooped up the pale puffball in his arms. Then with all the force he could muster, he swing around and hurled Kirby as hard as he could towards the fight.
"Spike!" Twilight shrieked. "Why did you...!?" She didn't get to finish her question. Spike cut her off.
"Look!" he exclaimed. The friends watched as Kirby sailed through the air, getting closer and closer to the reforming clone. They couldn't see it, but a small smirk crossed Kirby's face. Then, for an instant, his body shined like glass, and there were TWO Kirbys flying towards the clone.
Jaws were dropped.
The two Kirbys shined again, and then, there were FOUR Kirbys hurtling towards the clone.
Jaws were dropped to the floor.
Before their very eyes, Kirby was multiplying! There was another flash. Six Kirbys rocketed towards the clone, rapidly closing the distance. Each one readied a wand in their arms, preparing for their final attack.
The clone had finally managed to regain its form, though it was only a rough outline of its former glory. It gave a growl, but stopped. Looking up a bit, Sectonia noticed something not quite right. She definitely remembered there only being ONE hero of the lower world. . . . . .
"Oh dear." Sectonia clone thought to herself, newly reformed eyes going wide.
With one last battle cry, the Kirbys reared back their wands, each one gaining a reflective blade, and swung; effectively performing a six bladed cross slash with Mirror Cut. Shining and Cadence, who had been focused on defeating the monster, jumped back at the unexpected appearance of the multiplied puff.
The bug shrieked, shaking violently, before condensing in on itself once again. All present watched as the the clone became nothing more than a swirling blob of goo. It stayed like this for but a few moments, though to everyone else it felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, it took shape again! A much smaller creature the likes none of them (minus Kirby) had ever seen before, was formed out of the goopy substance. But it was only for an instant, the figure exploded a moment later in a shower of goo which quickly evaporated into nothing.
The battle was over.
Spike, and most of the other ponies felt a weight lift off their shoulders. The beast had been defeated. Yet despite this, the room still seemed tense.
Likely because they now inexplicably had six Kirbys instead of one. All eyes watched the puffballs as they began conversing with one another for a bit. What they were talking about, none could tell.
Suddenly, all of the Kirbys looked up, holding an arm in the air. Before anyone could question it, the tiny army began to dance.
They moved quickly, yet elegantly, all in perfect sync with one another. Watching them dance, oddly enough, provided a sense of relief for most present. After all, if one could dance after all that had happened, surely things were looking up a bit, right?
Soon, the dance was over, all of the puffs finishing with a break dance spin. Then with a flash, all of the Kirby clones fused back into one.
"Poyo!" Kirby called out as he walked back towards the group, specifically Spike, holding out an arm. Spike balled a claw up, and bumped Kirby's arm.
"Dude that was AWESOME!" He exclaimed, a massive grin stretching across his face. "You beat that thing down like it was nothing!" At this, Kirby simply thumped his body, a proud grin on his face.
"Is wut I do!" He said.
"Ahem! If I may, could I ask a question?" A voice spoke up, interrupting any further conversation.
Kirby and Spike looked up to see Twilight staring down at them, specifically the transformed puff. Twilight seemed calm and collected, breathing softly. She took a breath.
"WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME ARE YOU!?!?" "The unicorn exploded.
Kirby had a hunch that there was going to be another question session ahead of him.
Mirror Kirby was faced with a bit of a dilemma at the present moment. Currently a creature that seemed to radiate unspeakable wrath was staring directly into his soul, pinprick purple eyes boring directly into his starry blue; gaze unwavering. Usually this wasn't that big an issue, except for the fact the said creature was one of his friends. Twilight Sparkle to be exact.
"Poyo?" The puff murmured, tilting his head to the side a bit. His hat swayed from the motion, the mirror glimmering a bit. Unfortunately this seemed to aggravate the lavender unicorn further, her eyes twitching violently.
"You....." she growled, taking a step forwards.
"Just what are you? Some kind of mobile bottomless pit?"
Twilight took another step towards the puff.
"Or maybe some sort of king parasprite, similar to how ant colonies work?"
Another step
"A break from the evolutionary chain from that ravenous monstrosity!?"
Twilight's face was almost touching Kirby's.
"WHAT. . . ARE. . .YOU!?"
Kirby continued to stare into the unicorn's manic eyes. He hadn't flinched at all from her approach. Everyone else was silent, leaning in gauge how the puff would respond. Would he give a simple answer? Or would he fly off the handle, becoming unruly?
"I just don't know what to think about you!" Twilight scowled. "You're clearly a danger. You'd eat anypony out of house and home in a matter of days, possibly hours! Not to mention that you could probably eat the ponies themselves! Why bother with normal food!?"
Kirby watched as the unicorn began pacing around him, eyeing him as if he'd jump out at any moment.
"Oh, but you just can't be something simple like a parasprite can you!?" Twilight continued. "No. . . . apparently, you can fire magic as well! And not just some basic kindergarten level magic either, magic blades are notorious for being unwieldy and difficult to conjure. It takes YEARS of special training to even learn the basics of creating one, and you just waltz on in, not only conjuring one, but technically SIX, all because you can apparently clone yourself!
Everyone watched as Twilight continued to rant over the mystery of Kirby. Most wanted to intervene, but decided against it. An angry Twilight was not to be trifled with.
"I. . . just don't understand you." Twilight petered out. She flopped to the floor in a heap, sprawled out across the cold crystal. "By all means, we should be putting you somewhere where you can do no harm to anypony. You know dangerous magics and have an appetite that's deadly for more than one reason, all with the mannerisms of a mere child!"
Twilight shuddered.
"And yet. . . You've shown willingness to help us and others, or at least those you consider friends, showing that you have some sort of moral compass or something. . ." The unicorn's voice trailed off after that, and she looked down, scrunching her eyes shut in an attempt to put her thoughts together.
Rainbow Dash flew over towards her studious friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder, rubbing her back in a placating manner. Twilight, didn't make any motion to object, and so the pair remained there. Slowly, the rest of her friends made their way over to the mare, ending with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor wrapping their forelegs around the lavender unicorn.
"H-hey! It'll be okay!" Cadnece stuttered, not really knowing what exactly was so frustrating about the puff in question. "I'm sure you'll figure everything out in due time." The alicorn didn't seem confident, but the others thankfully didn't really pick up on it.
"Yeah!" Rainbow piped up. "One way or another, we'll figure out what makes it tick and then we'll figure out how to change everything back to normal!"
The others, son followed it their hoofsteps, offering words of encouragement to the unicorn. Though they trieds to keep acknowledgement of Kirby to a minimum for Twilight's sake.
Kirby simply watched as the unicorn's spirits seemed to lift with every word her friends spoke to her. It warmed his heart seeing such close friends helping one of their own. He only wished that he wasn't the source of Twilght's apparent grief. He decided to stay silent as the ponies continued to encourage their friend, instead opting to look at his current surroundings.
However, he was suddenly hit with an odd sensation he hadn't felt in an awfully long time. . . years in fact. . .
". . . . . .Thank you all." Twilight said at last, rising back to her hooves again after a few moments. She wrapped her hooves around the closest pony to her, and it quickly evolved into a group hug, shared between her closest family and friends. "What would I ever do without you?"
That feeling was growing rapidly. Kirby was trying his best to suppress it, but it was growing too strong, too fast!
"Don't worry sugercube, we'll always be there for you when you need us!"
"Rights-o-mundo!" We couldn't call ourselves your best friends if we just let you stay down like this!"
Kirby was quickly reaching his limit. He turned to face the ceiling and shut his eyes tight, giving all he had to stop it!
. . .
No. . . wait. . . . that was him giving in. . . oops!
"aaaAAA-CHUUUU!!!" Kirby sneezed.
The force of his sneeze shook the room. Dust and debris was kicked up into a sizable cloud, sailing across the room. Luckily, he had been facing away from his group of friends, but it still brought their attention back to the puffball. Nobody said anything for a while as they watched the cloud disperse into nothing. Kirby simply rubbed the middle of his face with annoyance.
"Right. . . I guess that brings us back to our main. . . concern right now." Cadence said at last. She didn't say anything for a good while. Then she looked up toward the friends. "Perhaps you should take this to the throne room. You all go on ahead and we'll catch up." With that, the princess turned back to her husband, and they both backed away from the group.
The mane six nodded, and wordlessly made their way back to the throne room. Rarity began to levitate Kirby, who simply went along for the ride. Spike just trailed behind the group. Soon, they all disappeared down the corridor.
Cadence heaved a sigh. Things had gotten so hectic so fast, and she had far too many questions swimming around in her head. Who was Kirby, and why did Twilight seem so against him? Before she could create more questions in her mind, there was a shout, bringing her back to reality. A few medical ponies were rushing to the rescue, stopping in front of the exhausted and injured guards. The princess stared for a moment before trotting over to help the medics with her husband.
These questions could wait until later, right now she had a job to do.
The walk back to the throne room was a quiet and uneventful one. Things just felt a wee bit too tense at the moment, and not a soul felt like being the one to break the silence. Even Pinkie seemed to be in a less than cheery mood.As the group rounded another corner they couldn't help but peer around at the aftermath. Everywhere they looked, the only thing the group could see were large piles of rubble strewn about. They were thankful that the medical staff were quick, looking back at the devastation, they felt that it could have been so much worse.
It felt like ages before they made it back to those large decorative double doors. Everyone stopped just in front of them, looking as if certain doom lay on the other side.
At last Rarity sighed, breaking the heavy silence.
"Well darlings," she began, pausing impressively, "I suppose we'd best enter the throne room."
The rest of the ponies simply replied with a nod and a grunt, before making their way towards the doors. Twilight opened one of them and the rest of the gang went inside. Once they all passed the threshold, Twilight shut the massive door. The door had barely clicked shut before the girls all let out a breathe that they didn't even realize they were holding.
"Hoo. . . Ah'd say that was quite the mess we got ourselves into." Applejack said, wearily. The farm pony turned to face Kirby. The puffball was still in his Mirror Form, the reflective glass on his hat twinkling in the light. "Ah gotta admit, you. . . you handled things out there pretty well lil fella. Thanks for helping us out."
Kirby gave a small smile and nodded.
"Poyo!"
"Really?!" Rainbow shouted, startling everyone in the room. "You're going to thank him?! After what he did?!"
"Rainbow Dash he helped us defeat that monster, its only right that we thank him for helping us!" Applejack replied, raising her voice a bit. Rainbow Dash huffed back at her friend.
"Yeah, okay, sure!" Rainbow seethed, "Just thank him for helping us and conveniently forget what else he did during that fight." The effect that statement had was immediate. All the ponies seemed to look off in a direction away from Kirby, Applejack just looked down towards her hooves, expression falling a tad. Spike was confused.
"W-wait did I miss something?" Spike questioned. "What exactly did Kirby do?"
"Spike darling, perhaps you shouldn't be here for this discus--!"
"Your little friend over there just ate two living creatures!" Rainbow shouted, cutting Rarity off and startling Spike. "That monster summoned a bunch of armor wearing creatures and he just swallowed them like it was no big deal! Yeah, they were on the evil side, but I wouldn't EAT them to get rid of them!
"Rainbow Dash, that's going too far!" Applejack roared. But it was too late for take backs, what had been said had been said.
Spike was shocked. He knew Kirby could probably eat a creature if he really wanted to, but he didn't think he'd actually resort to that! As an argument began to form between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the dragon slowly turned to face Kirby. Kirby himself actually looked rather sad.
"K-Kirby. . ." The drake sputtered, "D-did you really. . . . eat a living creature?"
The puffball looked at back Spike. The dragon was looking a little sad and. . . a bit fearful. It hurt Kirby's heart, he didn't know that inhaling the antlers would cause so much fuss! It was just his classic defense! Knowing it was best to tell the truth, Kirby nodded.
"Poyo. . ."
Spike was silent, he didn't move, or twitch. He just stared at the puff ball. The argument raging behind them was an afterthought between the two. But before anything else could happen or be said, the entrance to the throne room swung open. Cadence and Shining Armor entered.
As soon as the royal couple walked in, all the bickering ceased, though Rainbow and Applejack still gave heated glares towards one another.
"Alright everypony." Cadence addressed the group. "I'd like to report that thanks to your efforts, nopony was severely injured from the attack. Those who were hurt are expected to make a full recovery in a few weeks."
The group hummed at the news. Great to know that the guards would be fine.
Cadence allowed the friends a moment before she spoke up again.
"Now, then." She said at last. "Onto business I suppose." The pink alicorn began to walk towards the ponies, who regarded her with a bit of curiosity. Cadence came to a halt directly in front of Kirby.
The princess raised an eyebrow at this, and Shining Armor took a few steps closer towards his wife.
"Rainbow, just hush!" Applejack spat. "Don'tcha think that if Kirby wanted to hurt the Princess he would'a done something by now?!"
Before the two could fall further into their argument, Cadence coughed, silencing the two bickering equines.
"I appreciate the concern Rainbow Dash." Cadence said, giving a warm smile towards the pegasus. "However I think I'll be fine. I'm more worried about how you all are doing. After all, you did face that monster."
"I'd say we're all pretty good. Perhaps a little shaken, but otherwise, fine." Twilight reported.
Cadence looked down at the puff in front over her.
"Even Kirby?" she asked after a moment. None of the others said anything for a moment. Then.
"O-Oh my gosh!" Fluttershy stuttered, running over to Kirby. She stopped in front of him, bending down to inspect him. Panic was written all across her face. "Are you alright?! After all that fighting, and after you ate all those broken mirrors, and then the monster cut you as well!"
"P-poyo!"
"Wait, what?!" Cadence exclaimed. Without warning, the princess scooped Kirby up in her magic. Kirby didn't have time to squeak out any sort of complaint, before he found his mouth forcibly opened. "Kirby why on Equis would you eat a broken mirror!?"
Most of the others gasped, having completely forgotten that Kirby had indeed, inhaled very sharp objects.
Cadence and Fluttershy hastily looked inside of Kirby's mouth trying to see how bad the damage would be, but much to their shock. . .
"Huh!? The rest of the group exclaimed. Everyone rushed to towards Kirby to look inside his mouth. sure enough, Kirby's mouth was in perfect health.
"Wha--bu--HOW!?!?" Twilight roared, "Th-those shards HAD to have done SOME damage! We saw them poke your body FROM THE OUTSIDE!" Everybody cringed a bit at the mention of it.
"Oiyu. . ." Kirby tried to reply, but Cadence's magic held his mouth firmly open. Instead he just squirmed a bit. Cadence, taking the hint that Kirby couldn't respond properly, gently set the puff down on the floor.
Now back on solid ground, Kirby brushed himself off a bit, before walking a fair distance away from the group, much to their curiosity/worry. Then Kirby reared back, before exhaling the shards out into a pile in front of him. As soon as the last shard left his system, his hat vanished and his skin returned back to normal.
"Ruh.--! Tch--! UUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Twilight exploded, mane frizzing out. "Why? How! What even is your digestive system!?" The unicorn began to rant and ramble on how such a thing shouldn't be possible wen't on to think of theories on how the puff made it work.
"W-wait, so you can spit stars from whatever you put in yer mouth, but you can also spit up things you've swallowed too?" Applejack asked. Kirby nodded. The ponies shifted a bit.
"K-kirby, dear. . . " Rarity began, pausing to try and form her sentence. "If it isn't too. . . late. . . do you think you could do that with. . . whatever those creatures were from earlier? The ones with the armor?"
Kirby tilted his head a bit. He already had exhaled the antlers.
"I ded." he replied. However, the face of the ponies simply grew pale, while Rainbow's face flared up in anger.
"Monster!" She shouted. Kirby immediately understood the problem.
"Noe, Nu, Nu I DIIIIhhd!" Kirby exclaimed, trying his best to fix his pronunciation. The ponies regarded him with confusion. After a moment, Spike stepped up, shaking slightly
"Um. . . . . . . . . . . . . Are. . . are you saying you did? Like. . . you already did? The drake asked, nervous but hopeful.
"Poyo." the puff said nodding.
"Like we're supposed to believe that!" Rainbow yelled, flying directly into Kirby's face.
"Poyo!" the puff retorted. The two engaged in a rather intense staring contest, while the rest of the friends watched the others with worry.
"Please you two! No more fighting, we've had our share of that for the day." Pinkie pleaded. Rainbow Dash turned to look at her friend, slightly shocked.
"Pinkie, of all ponies, YOU should know that this guy is dangerous! It's gotta be some sort of mutant parasprite or something!"
"Preeeeeeeetty sure he isn't." Pinkie replied, shaking her head.
"Well what makes him different then!?" Rainbow shouted, surprising everyone. "Kirby can eat anything and everything, can fly, and as we've seen can multiply!" That's literally everything parasprites do!"
"But he's also been kind, and goes well outta his way to help us Rainbow!" Applejack, retorted. "The parasprites grew outta control in days, while Kirby here has yet to attack us in any sort of way!" Applejack hardened her glare. "Yes, Ah don't agree with eating another living creature, but he did it to help us, so I'm grateful for it!" Rainbow snorted at the farm pony.
"Oh really." She sneered. "Well if he wanted to help why didn't he use that fancy magic he apparently has earlier!?" This gave everyone, even Twilight pause.
"Fancy magic?" Shining Armor questioned. "I mean, I remember seeing the duplication and magic blade spells and I'll admit that that is impressive, but you make it sound as if he had other spells he knew."
"He did!" Twilight replied. "The very first thing he did when he started using magic was make use a shield spell, and stopped the monster when it charged at him completely! Then he fired a large quantity of magic bolts at it, while still maintaining the shield!" Cadence and Shining Armor's jaw dropped at the revelation.
"B-but shield magic by nature requires concentration and attention to maximize shield strength and integrity!" Shining exclaimed. "As powerful as that monster was, to be able to perform such a feat . . . . that shows either extreme skill in magic, or very potent magic."
"So why didn't he use it earlier?" Rainbow asked, looking rather smug. "Especially when that other monster attacked Ponyville! It would've made everything much easier!"
"Maybe he just. . . couldn't. . . at the time?" Fluttershy offered weakly.
"Poyo!" Kirby smiled, pointing at Fluttershy while nodding. Rainbow groaned at this.
"Oh come on guys! the pegasus fumed, "He's obviously just using lame excuses! What could possibly be so different this time that he could use his fancy powers that he couldn't last time!?"
"Weeeeeeeellllllll. . . ." Pinkie started. "He did get that fancy hat and appearance change after he ate all those mirror shards earlier!"
"Pinkie, magic doesn't work that way!" Twilight said. "I have to agree with Rainbow here, high amounts of magic can alter appearance. It's likely that he used so much magic, that his appearance changed, explaining the color change. And as for the hat, he could have just summoned that onto his person!" Twilight pulled a hoof up to her muzzle, tapping it as she thought about it further. "And as for him eating the shards, he wasn't harmed by it (as impossible as that should be) so he was probably clearing the area, likely knowing that it presented a hazard and that he could get rid of it."
"Poy-yo." Kirby said firmly, shaking his head. Twilight grit her teeth a bit at this.
"Ooooh no." She growled. "Magic is one thing I know I know. There's no other possible explanation that works well enough to fit what you pulled back there!" Kirby simply shook his head.
"Uh Twi. . ." Applejack spoke up. "Ah think he'd know how his own skills work better than all of us." The unicorn turned to face her friend, frustration on her face."
"Likely so, but like Rainbow seems to suspect, he could be hiding how they work with something in mind!" Twilight huffed. "He's helped us thus far, I won't deny that, but between his methods of dealing with threats and all the things we don't know about him, its very possible that he could be a danger to us later on!"
*Ahem!*
Everyone paused, looking towards the source of the sound. Cadence had a hoof raised and looked about the group, before setting her hoof back down to the ground.
"Everypony, all this arguing and question flinging, really isn't getting us anywhere!" She said. "Yes, Kirby is indeed very confusing, but we do have bigger issues than how Kirby functions. Remember, we called you all here because the land has been turning into metal, and according to Princess Luna, Kirby knows something about it." The main six simply sagged a bit, shamed to have been so caught up with arguing. Spike simply glanced at Kirby for a moment, before sighing, and turning his attention back to Cadence.
"From what the letter Princess Luna sent detailed." Shining armor began, "It seems that what is happening around the Empire is very similar to something that the Princess saw within Kirby's dreams. She suspects that Kirby might know the cause of all of this and, if so, how to stop it." Before Spike or the other ponies could say anything, Cadence spoke up.
"I believe I said this once before, but that was when we were fighting the monster, so I shall say it again." Cadence said softly. "Princess Luna suspects, through magical means or otherwise, that Kirby's mental state. . . may have been. . . altered." Silence covered the group as they took in the information. The only sound made was Kirby once again giving out an indignant poyo.
"So what, the marshmallow is crazy?" Rainbow snorted, at last. She was quickly shushed by a relatively light smack to the back of the head.
"Rude!" Applejack admonished.
"W-why would the princess write something like that?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Kirby seems perfectly fine!"
Cadence simple sighed. "According to what Luna wrote, he believes himself to be from a different planet."
"So he believes that he himself to be an alien?" Twilight asked skeptically. Cadence nodded.
"I did ask her about what could possibly cause such a thing." Cadence explained. "Apparently, it boils down to either very potent and illegal mental magic, or a sufficient impact to the head." At this Rarity gasped, which did not go unnoticed by the others. However, Spike simply raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know something about this?" Applejack asked.
"W-well. . ." Rarity managed to quiver out. "When we first found Kirby. . . it was with him falling out of the sky, when Spike and I were digging for gems. When we made it to where he landed, he had left such a large crater in the ground, that I'm honestly still a bit shocked he can move so easily!" Cadence sighed at this.
"That definitely sounds like it would be enough." the alicorn sulked. She looked over towards a window, were the sun was beginning to set. She turned back to face the group of heros. "As much as I'd like to continue this so we can fix the world around us, its starting to grow late. Perhaps we should talk about this a little bit more in the morning." The other mares looked between each other before, slowly agreeing.
"Perhaps it's for the best." Twilight sighed. "Today has been far too hectic. Perhaps a bit of rest would do us all some good. The others nodded, agreeing with the lavender unicorn. Cadence allowed a slight smile to grace her face.
"Here, allow us to take you to the guest rooms" She said. There was a hum as the alicorn charged her horn with magic, along with her husband. The magic grew brighter at the tips of their horns, shining brightly as the two concentrated their power. Kirby, Spike, and the Mane six were enveloped in a colorful aura, before disappearing from the throne room and into a room with several doors.
The group stood their for a moment to adjust to their new surroundings, before Twilight reached out and opened one of the doors. Doing so revealed another decently sized room with a bed, table, and other luxury living items inside. The other doors lead to rooms of similar build, with tiny differences here or there.
"Well, I don't know about you all." Twilight said after a moment. "But I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed." With nothing else to be say, the unicorn walked into the nearest room, before plopping herself down on the bed that the room housed. The other ponies stared at Twilight as she slowly began drifting off to sleep, before deciding to take her example. One by one, the ponies went into their own separate room of their choosing, exchanging simple pleasantries before entering a room of their own. Spike simply entered the same room as Twilight. Kirby however, didn't know who to go with anymore. Unbeknownst to the others, he had simply stayed back a distance as they chose their rooms. Once everyone had entered, he decided to plop down in front of a door, thinking about what had happened.
He remembered that dream he had with Princess Luna in it, but apparently she really didn't believe that he was from another planet, and judging by the faces of the others, they didn't either. That bit of information really stung, as he remembered that he'd probably need all the help he could get if he wanted to return home, but help would be next to impossible to receive if they didn't believe him. It certainly didn't help that Twilight was unsure of him, and Rainbow dash just flat out didn't like him. Then there was the fact that they had been spooked by his inhale ability when he ate the antlers. Truthfully he had eaten creatures before, but very rarely, and he usually spat them back out anyways. It was always far easier to inhale and copy a projectile or weapon that the opponent would use.
The puffball sighed. He wanted to explain himself, he really did, but how could he prove he was telling the truth? He wasn't good at speech yet, but remaining mute basically got him nowhere. As he pondered this, the puff found himself growing more and more tired, before he drifted off to sleep.
It was abysmally early when Kirby found himself being roused from his slumber. He wanted to continue sleeping, but whatever was prodding him wouldn't let up. So, with a groan he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, before blinking them open. He found that the one who had woken him up was. . .
"Spike?" Kirby groggily muttered. Indeed, Spike had shaken him awake. The drake looked a little surprised.
"Um...Kirby?" he started. "What are you doing out here?" Spike had woken up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, but apparently the rooms themselves didn't have one forcing him to leave. When he came back he had noticed Kirby in the lobby outside. Kirby looked up at the dragon, before pointing at the doors.
"Poyo. . ."
"Did you sleep out here, worried that. . . you weren't welcome with us or something?"
". . . . . . Poyo." Kirby sighed, nodding his head. Spike said nothing in return for a time, but then, to Kirby's surprise, he sat down in front of him.
"Kirby, I won't lie. . . ." Spike began. "The fact that you could eat something alive. . . kinda scares me a little bit." The puff ball look downtrodden at that. Even, Spike didn't trust him now!
"But, I'm willing to trust you."
Kirby's expression went from sadness to surprise in an instant.
"You've helped my friends, possibly even saving their lives, twice now." Spike continued, "I don't know why Rainbow Dash and Twilight are being so stubborn about it, but I'm sure that given time they will come to like you just as much as the others do. I may not agree with the method myself. . . but I suppose you didn't have other options."
Neither moved from a moment, before Kirby hopped, up and hugged the drake. Spike simply let the hug happen. Kirby really seemed to need it right now.
Then something unexpected happened.
It was slow at first but Spike began to notice the room growing brighter. At first he though that the sun was staring to rise, but he remembered that it was still far too early for Celestia to be lifting it. The light was yellow in color and it seemed to be coming from the two of them.
"W-what's this?" Spike asked. He inspected his glowing body in confusion. Suddenly he felt that sparking feeling from before. Then he felt it again, but with much greater intensity. The light grew brighter and the two were enveloped by it.
"Kirby, whats going on?" Spike asked. The baby drake felt that he should be worried about this, but found that he just, couldn't for some reason. Instead he felt as calm as could be, and he didn't know what to think about that.
"Spike friend!" Kirby replied, hugging the drake a bit harder. Suddenly, Kirby's form became star like, twinkling around Spike for the briefest of moments.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped. The light died down immediately, and Spike found that there was a weight upon his back. Looking behind him, he found that Kirby was now on his back, but facing away from him. Kirby simply turn to face the drake.
"Kirby. . . . . what was that?" Spike asked, unsure of what to feel or think.
"Poyo."
Spike jumped, surprised.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Did. . . . you just talk!? Like. . . perfect speech!?" Kirby simply shook his head.
"Poyo Poyo!"
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wait, so you aren't "speaking", but I can understand you because of what happened just now?" Spike questioned. Kirby nodded.
"Poyo."
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .We're in sync? What does that mean?"
"Poyo! Poyo puy poyo!" Kirby explained.
Spike stood there unmoving for a while, taking in the information that the puffball had given him. A small, hopeful grin crossed his face.
"So, that stuff you did back there with all that magic. . . you mean. . . . I can do that too?"
"Mnnnph. . .poyo poyo."
Spikes hopeful grin blew up into the widest smile he'd ever given.
"Oh this is gonna be fun." He said, rubbing his claws together. Then he stopped. He hadn't looked at his claws before, but looking at them now, he realized that they were glowing quite similarly to when a unicorn uses magic. The aura around them was a sharp green that matched his fins, with bright yellow stars of varying sizes popping up every now and then within the mist. Spikes grin couldn't get wider, but it certainly tried.
Immediately after discovering that his hands were exuding an aura, Spike began posing in many different ways while grunting. However, no matter what he did, nothing happened much to his disappointment. He tried everything he could think of, pointing with a finger, raising his claws into the air, thrusting his claws outward, but nothing worked. After about 3 minutes he gave up.
"What gives?" He asked with frustration. "I thought you said that I'd be able to do all that stuff you did earlier!" Kirby simply laughed as the dragon's attempts.
"P-poyaahaha!" Kirby said, through his laughter.
". . . . . . . . huh? What do you mean I can't do anything yet?" The dragon asked, now more confused than frustrated.
"Poyo!"
". . . . . . . . Copy? Copy what?" That doesn't make sense!" The drake was now entirely lost.
"He-he-he. . . Poyo poyo. . ." Kirby waved his arm nub in the air a bit.
"Wait. . . you're gonna show me how your powers work?"
"Poy."
"Later in the day?" Spike groaned. "Why not now?" Kirby deadpanned.
"Poyo."
"Oh, right. . . I guess it IS still pretty early. . ." Spike muttered sheepishly. "Well since you want to sleep, why don't you rest in our room? It's gotta be more comfortable than sleeping on the floor out here." Kirby considered the offer for a moment, but ultimately decided against it. He could get comfortable pretty much anywhere, and he had already slept out here for most of the night anyways. With nothing else to claim his attention, Kirby hopped off of Spike's back. The drake shivered for a moment as Kirby left his back, he looked down to find that the aura around his claws had dissipated and he felt more like his old self again.
"Aww. . . well that's a little disappointing." Spike sulked. "Is it possible for us to. . . .sync up later?"
"Poyo!" Kirby replied, nodding. Spike was glad he did. Once Kirby had left his back, he found that he couldn't clearly understand Kirby's meaning anymore.
He made his way towards Twilight's door, and pushed it open, but made sure to wave at Kirby, before he shut it behind him. Kirby waved back, before lying back down on the floor, letting sleep overtake him once more.
Kirby once again found himself being woken up again, but this time a bit more roughly. Kirby groaned and opened his eyes once more. This time he found Applejack looking down at him.
"Rise an shine sugercube!" She said. "We gotta have you awake if were gonna have a plan to stop that weird metal from spreadin!"
"I still think we could do this on our own." said a voice, but was quickly shushed.
Kirby wiped his eyes, as Applejack stepped out of his line of sight. He found that he had been transported to the throne room while he had been asleep. All of the other ponies were there, including Cadence and Shining Armor. Spike was there as well, though he was fast asleep atop Twilight's back.
"Are you feeling alright darling?" Rarity asked the groggy puff. "When we woke up, we found you outside our rooms sleeping on the floor!" Rarity shivered at the thought. "You could've asked to rest in one of our rooms, I'm quite sure some of us wouldn't mind."
"Poyo poyo." he replied, shaking his head.
"Well alright, I'll let it slide this once. . . but next time we have to get you into a proper bed." the unicorn stated. To sleep on the floor is quite improper unless the right conditions have been met."
Kirby simply nodded, as he noticed Cadence and Shining were making their way over to him.
"Well Kirby, I hope that you're well rested because we really need to discuss some things about you, before we can make a plan to save the Empire." Shining Armor began. Some things that may be a bit. . . difficult to discuss." Shining averted his gaze towards the end of his sentence, which unfortunately Kirby noticed.
"Poyo?" he muttered, questioningly, before looking around at the other occupants in the room.
Cadence was smiling, but a closer look revealed that it was cracking, just enough to reveal that it was being forced.
Applejack seemed okay, but every now and then she would look off to the sides of her, before fixing her gaze back at Kirby.
Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane and looking down.
This trend continued throughout the rest of the ponies, and Kirby didn't have to think too long about why.
"Nu." he said firmly, and her turned away. The false emotions quickly fell apart.
"Please Kirby." Cadence pleaded "We only want to help you! If you aren't in a stable state of mind you could hurt yourself later on! "We need to discuss this in order to. . . . ." Cadence didn't get to finish her sentence. Kirby had turned back to look at her. His face was a simple one, but his eyes. . . they were fierce and they conveyed a simple message.
"No, conversation over."
Cadence certainly tried, but found herself unable to make a sound as Kirby stared at her.
". . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... fine" She said at last. "We'll drop the subject." The others were quick to voice their objections.
"Honey are you sure?" Shining whispered into his wife's ear. Cadence simply sighed.
"I don't think he's going to make it easy, and unfortunately we really don't have enough time right now." She whispered back. "As much as I don't want to, we'll just have to let it go for now." Turning back to face Kirby once more, Cadence let a tiny ghost of a smile return to her face. "Okay everypony, if you would follow me please, we're headed outside.
Kirby, glad that the subject was finally changed, trailed after Cadence with a slight smile, followed by the mane six.
The group made their outside the palace. It was still rather barren, save for a few guards here and there. They gave their salutes as the group went by. Though it looked rather nice outside, the atmosphere was a bit tense. There wasn't much sound aside from the clopping of hooves or the sound of wings flapping, so the walk was turning out to be rather boring. Eventually, the silence was broken by Shining.
"A little bit earlier this morning, Guard Squad #1 came back to us with reports of strange metal structures out in the wilds." He began. "Their report tells that these structures are unlike any of the other oddities that we've seen so far." The stallion grimaced. "In addition, they have reported strange creatures roaming around the structures. It's unknown if they were hostile or not, but according to the scouts they had an. . . edgy, unsettling appearance."
Some of the group hummed at this, wondering what this would mean for them.
"Doesn't matter what they are or what they look like!" Rainbow scoffed. "If they're the ones who messed up the land, we'll sort em out no sweat!" The ponies gave a small smile at their speedy friend's confidence, but Kirby didn't show any real emotion. He was currently lost in thought.
Shining had said there were strange creatures and strange metal structures, which clearly had "Haltmann Works Company" written all over it. But that could mean trouble. The creatures could be anything! Was it another clone? Or perhaps a robot of some sort. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
"Well, we're here!" Cadence announced. "We've taken a few precau. . . tions. . . ." The alicorn's voice trailed off as she noticed that not everyone had stopped to listen. Kirby was now visibly worried, and had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed her speaking. Instead, he kept his pace and trundled forwards until he collided with a wall, knocking his mind back to reality and knocking him onto the ground. He quickly reoriented himself, and found everyone looking at him with various expressions, ranging from mild amusement to annoyance.
"Poyo. . .~" He offered, shrugging as he gave an embarrassed smile. The princess looked at him for a moment before clearing her throat.
"Like I was saying . . ." She started again, "We've taken some precautions to make sure you guys stay safe when you head out to investigate these oddities. We don't know what we could be up against, and after that monster attack, we'd rather not take any chances. Therefore, Shining and I brought you some charms and supplies to help you out should the need arise!" Cadence shared a look with her husband, who nodded in confirmation of something. The two then concentrated their magic, horns shining bright. A moment later two large wooden crates popped into existence before them. The group was honestly caught by surprise by the size of them. Both crates were the size of a pony, and the wood seemed to be bulging out, straining in an effort to keep whatever the crates held contained.
"W-whats all of this!?" Twilight exclaimed, speaking what was on everyone's minds. Shining looked over to his sister, eyes bright and a smile that seemed just a bit too wide.
"Supplies!" he exclaimed, clapping his hooves together. "We wanted to make sure that you and your friends stayed safe out there! Especially in this kind of situation, where anything could happen." Twilight looked towards the crates, which were creaking ever so slightly, then turned back to her brother quickly realizing what was happening.
"Shining. . . " She sighed. putting a hoof to her head. "I certainly appreciate the effort you're putting in to protect my friends and I; no doubt my friends do as well, but . . . don't you think that this. . ." She pointed towards the overstuffed crates. ". . . is just a little bit excessive?
"Oh no!" the stallion exclaimed, shaking his head. "If anything we weren't thorough enough! But we had so little time to prepare, so we did what we could." The ponies looked towards the crates, a plank of wood managing to snap off of one from the pressure of it's cargo. Rainbow dash swooped in, taking a closer look. She almost poked on of them, but thought against it, and turned towards Shining.
"Sooooo what even is all this stuff anyways?" She asked. Shining grinned harder. Twilight grew a bit pale.
"Rainbow no!" the unicorn whisper yelled, but it was far too late now.
"I'm glad you asked Rainbow Dash!" Shining began. "Well, the crate beside you contains many, MANY rations of foods, to take on your excursion. Can't let my little sister and her friends get hungry out there!" Shining pointed towards the other crate. "As for that crate over there, its filled with enchanted charms and trinkets to help protect you! We tried our best to get the best enchantments that we could to ensure your safety! We got bracelets enchanted with Protection III to increase general defense, bracelets enchanted with Fire Resistance in case you run into anything fire related, bracelets with. . . . "
As the Prince began to explain the various trinkets to the ponies, Kirby's mind wandered off again, this time taking note of where he currently was. Looking around, he found that they had made their way back to the train station, though aside from his friends and himself, there wasn't anyone else around.
Looking towards the tracks he found an engine there waiting, though it looked far different from the one they had arrived on. It was shiny and sleek looking, appearing to be made from crystal instead of being candy themed like the one from before. Behind it were two long coaches that shone under the morning sun. Kirby stared, looking it up and down, before noticing that the first coach had the door slightly open. Curious, ran towards the train, stopping right in front of the open door. He peered inside for a moment, before pushing his way inside.
"Oh, there's also the three triangles! One is enchanted to boost strength, one is enchanted to reduce fear, and the last one is . . .!"
"Shining!!!" Twilight shouted, managing to interrupt her brother. "We really appreciate you looking out for us, but I think most of this stuff is really unnecessary. We'll be fine with just a few of these things, like the protection bracelets and the food!"
"Are you sure?" Shining asked, worry evident in his voice. "The sword with Sharpness II might come in handy, or maybe the war hammer! I mean. . .sure its only a decor item, b-but it looks threatening! Twilight chuckled, before walking towards the stallion, lightly nuzzling him.
"I know, you're worried about my safety." Twilight said, "We'll be fine though, we'll be extra careful out there. So there's no need to worry so much. We've faced many things, but as long as I have my friends and they have me, we'll make it through." Shining stared at his sister for a while before turning towards his wife looking for any sort of support. Cadence simply smiled and shook her head. Failing to come up with a retort, the stallion simply sighed.
"Oh. . . alright." Shining relented. He turned away and walked further into the station, motioning for the group to follow. The ponies gasped at the sight before them.
"My word!" Rarity exclaimed. "What an exquisite locomotive!" The others nodded in agreement. Pinkie bounced over towards the engine, rapidly looking it over.
"This thing would make for an A-MAZING disco ball!" the party pony exclaimed. "No. . . disco-TRAIN!" Princess Cadence couldn't help but laugh at the reactions of the other ponies.
"It is quite a sight isn't it?" the alicorn asked. "A while after the Crystal Empire returned, the citizens decided to have this built for us. We've taken to calling it, The Royal Express. We haven't actually traveled anywhere with it yet though." As the ponies gawked at the magnificent engine before them, Shining made his way over to the locomotive itself.
"This train is well protected." the stallion stated, "Both engine, and coaches are made from special crystals that are both lightweight and durable. This thing can take a beating, so should anything for whatever reason try to attack the train, you'll be safe on the inside." Shining turned towards the engine and knocked on the door a few times. After a few seconds, two guards stepped out. They saluted as they got down onto the station platform. "These two will be the ones driving the engine. Its a high speed train, so it shouldn't take you long to get to the drop off point. That's where you'll disembark and begin travelling by hoof. They'll wait for you there until you come back." Shining nodded and the two guards saluted once again, marching back onto the train.
"Hoo wee! With all these nick-knacks and machinery on our side, Ah'd reckon we are more than prepared for whatever comes our way!" Applejack exclaimed. Rainbow dash swooped down towards the farm pony, floating in front of her with a cocky grin.
"You know it AJ!" The shouted, pumping a hoof above her. "Whatever's out there won't even know what hit em!" The rest of the friends, feeling just as confident, cheered. The noise was enough to finally rouse Spike from his slumber. He yawned loudly, drawing attention to himself.
"I see you've decided to join us Spike!" Cadence chuckled, as the baby dragon smacked his lips, trying to awaken from his nap.Pinkie soon bounced over.
"Yeah Spike! You were asleep for so long, like . . . four months!" She exclaimed. Spike jumped at this.
"W-wait, I've been asleep for FOURS MONTHS!?" He tumbled off of Twilight and landed on the ground, feverishly checking himself over. The others started to giggle.
"No silly!", Pinkie giggled. "You were asleep for a while, but not that long. That was just one of those. . . hype-pebble-ees!
"Hyperbole, Pinkie" Twilight corrected, through her giggles.
Spike visibly calmed down at this, no longer worried about how awful four months of sleep would have left him looking. But as her looked around, something still didn't seem quite right.
"Hey. . . Where's Kirby?" The drake asked, by now the merry mood had calmed down a bit, and the ponies got a chance to look around a bit.
"O-o-oh goodness you're right!" Fluttershy stammered. "Kirby isn't here! The other were confused.
"But he was around here earlier. . ." Twilight mused, "Where could he have-!
There was a loud crash, coming from within the the rear coach of the train. From the sound of it, multiple items were tumbling down, clattering to the floor. Everyone looked at each other for a moment before running up to the coach. Shining Armour opened the door, and everyone ran inside. It was a large empty space with shelves lining the walls. However there was also a large number of items scattered across the floor of the railcar. Dazed, confused, and in the center of it all, lay Kirby. He was slightly buried underneath a mess of what looked to be crystals, horseshoes, bracelets, bracers, even a frying pan, all of which seemed to emit a glow. Shining spoke up.
"Hey! I see you found the back-up supplies I had stored here just in case!" Shining exclaimed, "Just. . . I kinda wish you'd been a little bit more gentle with them."
"Poyo. . . ."
After goodbyes were exchanged, safe returns were promised, and a big mess cleaned up, the group was ready to head off. With a whistle and a roar, the large engine pulled out of the station and rumbled down the rails, carrying the group off into territory entirely new to them.
In more ways than one.
It took about 45 minutes, before the the train began to grind to a halt. Once the train had stopped. The guards in the locomotive made their way towards the friends. They made a beeline towards Twilight, Saluting her much to her embarrassment.
"Ms. Sparkle!" one of them boomed. "Our reports say that the target of interest is a straight shot from here. Once you disembark the train, simply head straight forwards. It'll be a long walk, but you'll eventually make it to the target." Twilight simply nodded her head as thank you. The two guards turned and marched back into the engine, door sealing behind them once they left. Twilight turned to look at her friends, and Kirby.
"Alright everyone" The unicorn began. "Its finally time to see whats really behind all of this metal nonsense that's been going on. I've thought about each of our strengths so we can make better use of the tools that Cadence and my brother gave us. Lets try not to break them, as we'll need to give them back one this is all over." Rainbow and Pinkie seemed to deflate at this, though the others didn't seem to bothered by this news. "We don't know what we're up against, but I know that together, nothing can stop us!
Everyone cheered at this, with Kirby hopping up and down happily. Twilight gave smiled a bit, before trotting over to a corner of the rail car. The two crates from before had been placed there, though there were a lot less full than before. Twilight's horn glowed with magic, reaching into both boxes. Out of the boxes, she pulled out
2 Rings
4 Bracelets
A Necklace
A Pair of saddle-bags
3 Loaves of bread
A Wand
A single glowing crystal
Aside from the food, everything had a light glow to them, showing that it had been enchanted in some form or fashion. Everyone stared in awe at the sight.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Now each of these will help us out. in some form or fashion, but please be aware of what they do at all times. Magical items can be really dangerous if used incorrectly." Everyone nodded, though some seemed to nod a little too fast. Regardless, Twilight levitated specific items to everyone.
Rarity and Twilight both got rings.
Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow got a bracelet each.
Lastly Spike was given the wand and Kirby got the necklace.
Everyone held their items, staring at them in wonder, curious to know what sort of effect the items would have on them. Twilight looked over a list that was within the box.
"Now, if what this says is correct". . . she mumbled. She looked the list over a bit more before turning to the group.
"Alright, the effect of each enchanted item is as follows." Twilight called out. She turned to Rarity.
"Rarity, that ring is enchanted with Magnify. It'll amplify the power of your magic." Rarity slipped the ring onto her horn as Twilight said this. She felt a shiver as the magic coursed through her.
"My word, I feel stronger already!" The seamstress exclaimed. Twilight nodded in acknowledgement, before moving onto Applejack.
"Applejack, your bracelet is enchanted with Strength. It boosts your physical strength." Applejack slipped the bracelet over her foreleg. She closed her eyes in anticipation. After a moment passed, she opened one eye. She didn't feel any different.
"Uh Twi? You sure this things gonna boost mah strength? Cause Ah don't feel no different." Twlight gave her friend a smile.
"Don't worry Applejack, not everypony has the same reaction to enchanted items." explained Twilight. "Some ponies feel the magic, while others feel nothing. However the enchantment always works no matter what." Applejack simply nodded at her friend's explanation, saying nothing more. Twilight then moved onto Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy, your bracelet has Protection attached to it. As long as you wear that bracelet, you'll have a shield surrounding you at all times." Fluttershy simply looked down at the bracelet for a moment, before reluctantly sliding it on. Twilight looked at her shy friend a bit, before moving onto Pinkie.
"Pinkie, your bracelet has Healing touch. You can heal minor injuries by simply maintaining contact with whoever you wish to heal. Pinkie beamed.
"Neato! Ooh I can't wait to try it out!" She exclaimed. Then she thought about for a moment. "But wait, if I have to use it, then that means somepony got hurt! I never want to use it! . . . ."But I want to use it at the same time! Do I use it, or do I not use it?! Use it, don't use it? Use it, don't use it? Use it, don't use it?" Twilight simply moved onto Rainbow Dash, leaving Pinkie Pie to be Pinkie Pie.
"Rainbow, your bracelet has haste, which doubles your speed for about *WOOOSH*...... 30 seconds at a time." Twilight simply watched as Rainbow soared around the far-too-small-a-space-to-be-flying railcar. She was moving at high speeds with little effort on her part. Twilight just simply moved on, hoping that rainbow would eventually calm down.
Twilight found herself next to Spike.
"Spike, that wand is imbued with a Thunder Topaz, so it fires electricity." She looked the young drake in the eye. "Spike, please tell me that I can trust you not to be reckless with this. It can be a very dangerous item if used incorrectly." Spike looked at Twilight, determination in his eyes.
"Don't worry Twilight, you can count on me!" Twilight smiled. She hoped that Spike could keep his promise. She moved on, turning her head to face Kirby.
"Okay, Kirby. . ." Twilight began. "I'll be honest. I don't know enough about you to make an accurate guess on what would be best for you to have, so I'm giving you the Necklace of Wind." Kirby tilted his head in confusion.
"Poyo?"
"Basically it allows you to shoot a wind bolt at something." the unicorn explained. "It doesn't sound like much, but if you use it right, it can be effective." She gave the puffball a light glare. "Please tell me I can trust you not to use this recklessly."
Kirby looked at Twilight then down at the necklace. Then he looked back at Twilight again.
"Yes!" He nodded enthusiastically. Twilight looked at him a bit before turning around.
"Ten bits that he eats it. Rainbow remarked, having finally slowed down. She was quickly shushed by the others.
Twilight slipped her own ring onto her horn.
"Alright then. My ring is enchanted with Flame, imbuing my magic with the element of fire. Hopefully this sho--- Twilight was cut off by the sound of a familiar sucking sound. The unicorn whipped around to just in time to see Kirby letting the necklace he had in his nubs fly into his mouth.
"KIRBY WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?" Twilight shrieked. "You JUST told me I could trust you with that!"
"I called it!" Rainbow growled lightly. All the pest knows is to eat!"
Kirby just looked at everyone who was staring back at his with confusion, and suspicion. Then he swallowed the necklace.
To the shock and surprise of everyone. Kirby's body started glowing once again. Stars swirled around his body as the top of his head rapidly began change. Despite the group being inside a rail-car with no open windows, wind began to swirl around, quickly raising to a howl.
"W-wha?! Whats happening!?" Twilight exclaimed.
"Kirby must be doing something!" Spike called out."What though, I don't know!" Everyone braced themselves as the wind grew ever stronger, beginning to rock the car itself. But just as quick as it had began, it stropped. Kirby stopped glowing, and a small jingle seemed to come from within him. He opened his eyes to find everyone staring at him. No, rather they were staring above him.
The puffball knew that Twilight and Rainbow were probably going to chew him out for eating the necklace, but honestly, this was probably for the best.
After all, why settle for a simple bolt of wind, when you could create Tornadoes instead?
Everyone simply stared at the puffball, all shocked and confused. Kirby had changed again! He was still the exact same color as usual, but he now wore a rather bizarre crown of some sort. The base of it was a golden ring with a green jewel placed in the center. A larger white ring jutted out of the first and circled around at an angle. It had chunks missing out of it, making it look like an artist's interpretation of high wind. However, it wasn't the most eye catching thing about the crown, and was seemingly rather redundant. Barely contained within the confines of both rings was a miniature tornado. Everyone could only stare as the thing swirled around atop Kirby's head, the sound of a light breeze coasting past their ears as it spun.
"Dude. . . . " Spike gaped, unable to take his eyes away from the sight. "What. . . is that!? Kirby simply looked up towards his hat, before looking back at the drake and happily chirping his response.
"Toenaedo!" the puff exclaimed, spinning around a bit as he did. There was a slight gust of wind at the action. This was seemingly enough to knock everyone out of their state of shock. They shared a look between each other, before turning back to Kirby. Slowly, everyone made their way closer towards the puffball, every so often taking a peek at the cyclone on Kirby's crown as if it would jump out at them.
"What manner of magic are you using?" Twilight asked, glaring at Kirby and his strange headgear with suspicion and frustration. "You did that same trick yesterday, complete with eating something that clearly shouldn't be eaten! You're supposed to WEAR the necklace, not EAT it!"
"Indeed darling!" Rarity added, distraught over the apparent abuse of jewelry. "Such a lovely looking necklace too! Why on Equis would you put that in your mouth?" Kirby simply smiled at the two.
"Copy!" He chirped. Everyone was confused.
"Copy? Copy!?" Rarity sputtered. Kirby, darling, PLEASE tell me you aren't suggesting us to eat our items. Aside from the fact that none of us aside from Spike and apparently you, can ingest such things, that would be a crime to jewelry everywhere! To taint such artifacts of fashion by eating it! . . . ooh dear. . . I feel ill at the thought. . ."
Kirby watched Rarity's over-dramatic theatrics with confusion, before shaking his head.
"Nu! I copy!" The puff clarified. He was still met with looks of confusion, now with 20% less understanding on their end.
"Ugh it doesn't matter!" Rainbow blurted. She turned to Kirby with a scowl. "You, cough up the necklace!" Kirby didn't quite meet her glare with one of his own, but his smile did fade a bit.
"Nu." he said, shaking his head a bit. "Tats a badd muv." Rainbow Dash, didn't take the puff's refusal lightly. She snorted, getting in Kirby's face.
"What do you mean no?" She prodded. "Look buddy, we're calling the shots around here, so cough the thing up already!" Kirby simply looked at her, face hardening just a bit more.
"Nu!" he blurted back, staring back at Dash. Tension was rising and everyone was growing a bit uncomfortable as the two stared at each other, both refusing to back down to the other's demands. Suddenly, an orange hoof broke in between the two, and separated them, catching both Kirby and Rainbow off guard.
"Alright, that's enough you two." Applejack said sternly, giving both Kirby and Rainbow a glare. "Break it up before yah both do something stupid." Rainbow gasped in exasperation while Kirby simply sighed, thankful for the save.
"Applejack, come on!" Rainbow angrily questioned. "We were given these things to help us out, and the first thing he does is EAT it!? How that supposed to be of any help!?" Applejack simply gave a level stare to the pegasus.
"Ah don't know, but he's got that fancy hat on his head, and he done glowed like the sun in the sky." She turned towards her friends, coughing to get their attention. Once she had it, she continued. "Now, I don't know if ya'll recall, but last time Kirby did that, he started using them fancy magic tricks. I'm pretty sure he just means to help out in the way he knows how. . . whatever that may be." Rainbow simply snorted again.
"What, so he just gains powers from eating stuff? She retorted. "Didn't Twilight already say that was impossible?" Twilight simply nodded in agreement.
"At this point, I think he just does it for theatrics." She said, rolling her eyes. "Just forget it Rainbow, we'll just let him have it." The unicorn activated her magic and made her way towards the door of the car, levitating the final bread and saddle bags over to her. The aura was a bright red as they floated over towards her, everyone could feel heat radiating from the floating objects. Twilight didn't put the saddle bags on her right away, instead continuing to suspend them in the air as she opened the door to the outside. Everyone walked towards the open door. Once again, the sight of shiny metal greeted them, patches of it covering the ground and expanding slowly, but surely to cover the parts of unconverted earth. Twilight stared across the horizon for a bit, before turning to face everyone.
"Well, its time for us, to make the journey out to find whatever's causing this mess and fix it." She began, she looked around at each of her friends, each giving her a smile. she took a quick glance over at Kirby who wore a neutral expression, before looking back. "We don't know what we may find out there, and honestly, it has me a little nervous. We've faced quite a few thing before, but I don't think we've seen anything quite like this. . ."
"Twilight?" Pinkie said suddenly. But the unicorn didn't here her, instead continuing her speech.
"But that's okay! She said, raising her voice a bit. "We've faced things before that no other ordinary ponies have faced, and we've always come out okay! I believe that whatever force is behind this, we can stop it!" The unicorn paused as her friends cheered a bit at this, Pinkie even chanting her name, though in a bit of an odd rhythm. Once they were done Twilight continued.
"That settles it then!" Twilight said at last, a confident grin on her muzzle. "Together we'll show whatever's behind this what we can do! With our smarts, strength, speed, and friendship we'll show those thing the real power of - !
"TWILIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!!"
Everyone recoiled at the sudden sound of Pinkie basically shrieking in their ears. Once everyone had gotten over the shock, they turned to Pinkie, who was currently looking a bit antsy.
"Pinkie what was that about?" Twilight asked, a little bit hurt from her friends outburst. "You interrupted my encouraging friendship speech!" Pinkie however didn't seem too fazed about her friend's hurt feelings, instead she simply pointed above the unicorn and said a few words. But those words would had a far bigger impact than Twilight's speech did.
"Your saddlebags are on fire!" The pony squeaked, hoof shaking as she pointed at where the bags would be floating.
Everyone's head whipped to where the pink pony was pointing and indeed, the bags were on fire. The flames danced wildly, around the form of the bags which were already starting to turn black. The ponies jumped in fright, a few of them screaming in a panic."
"Aughh!!" Twilight screeched. In a knee-jerk reaction, the unicorn flung the blazing bags away from her. Unfortunately she hadn't aimed for the open door. Rather, she had flung them across the train car, where they landed near the crates that held the supplies. "Wait! NO"" The unicorn pleaded, reaching out with her magic in a panicked attempt to snatch the boxes away from the burning bags. The crates were surrounded in her magical grip . . . . . . and violently burst into flames. Sparks of fire blasted past everyone, causing the group to flinch.
"Ya'll we gotta get out of here!" Applejack called out. The farmer jumped outside the railcar, quickly beckoning her friends to do the same. "Come on!" she shouted, before hurriedly running to the front of the train, to warn the guard of the danger. The rest of the group didn't need to be told twice, hurriedly making their way outside as smoke began to fill the coach. All except for Kirby and Spike.
Spike understood the urgency of the situation, but wasn't really concerned about falling victim to a simple blaze. He was a dragon, a baby dragon, but still a dragon. Smoke and fire was basically nothing to him. He was, however, very concerned about the safety of his friends. as he neared the door, he turned around to see if anyone was still there. To his horror, he found Kirby just staring at the fire.
"Kirby what are you doing!? Come on!" He called, out running back to retrieve the puff ball. Kirby quickly turned around.
"Nu!" Goe!" he called back. Spike simply stared at the puffball in surprise and confusion. Kirby looked at him for a moment, before giving a simple smile. "Twust mee!" Spike watched the puffball for a moment, longer, before returning Kirby smile with a small one of his own.
"Alright, if you're gonna ask me to trust you, I'll trust you." The drake replied. With that he hopped outside and made his way to the others.
Kirby turned around and braced himself for action. He waited a bit, as to make sure that everyone was a decent ways out of the way. Every moment that passed, he watched as the supplies burned.
Suddenly, he began to spin.
Very rapidly at that.
The wind picked up around him, and a small cyclone formed around his body. Kirby was concentrating as best he could, regulating his spinning as the smoke began drawing towards him. Once he figured that he had enough wind power, he spun his way over towards the burning supplies. The bags and crates resisted at first but were soon swept away by the force of the winds Kirby was producing. Kirby concentrated harder now, keeping close watch on how his tornado was behaving.
Tornado was a Copy Ability based around a force of nature. Though he could control air and wind pretty much however he wanted, that didn't change how it naturally acted. With the burning objects in tow, his cyclone was quickly attempting to turn into a firestorm and Kirby didn't want that. The puffball began to make his way over to the door, directing the wind around him to suppress the flames as best as he could. He found himself bouncing off the built in furniture a few times, but he was still on course with the exit. Suddenly, he heard a scream and something new joined him within his cyclone.
As Spike jumped out of the railcar, he spared one last glance behind him, as smoke began to flow out of the coach and into the sky. He knew that Kirby asked him to trust him, but what exactly did he have in mind? Surely he didn't intend to eat the fire. . . right? The dragon shook his head.
"Kirby asked me to trust him, so I'll trust him." He said to himself. He looked up and found the rest of his friends standing well away from the danger site, with the exception of Applejack, who was helping the guards out of their locomotive. He quickly ran over to them. As he drew close, Fluttershy noticed him. She quickly flew over towards the baby drake, with the rest of her friends soon following.
"S-spike! "W-where's Kirby!? she asked, clearly distraught. "W-why isn't he with you?!" Spike sighed, knowing that what was gonna happen next was probably cause a bigger commotion.
"He still inside the train car." Spike replied honestly. He was met with a collective scream of-
"WHAT!?!?!"
Spike recoiled a bit, but simply stated himself again.
"He still inside!" He repeated. "I tried to get him out myself, but he kinda just told me to go without him. I'm assuming he's gonna try and put the fire out." Rainbow dash face-hooved.
"Ugh, stupid thing's probably trying to eat the fire too. . ." She groaned. "I'll go get him!" With that, she darted back over to the railcar. Spike was alarmed.
"Dash, wait! He called out, but she had already made it to the door. The pegasus peered inside, but what she saw was definitely not what she was expecting. The smoke and fire was getting sucked into a sizable tornado!
"W-what the!?" She squeaked, her wings faltering a bit at the sight.
Unfortunately, that little fumble had been enough. The moment her wings desynced, the pegasus got caught in the wind, getting sucked towards the cyclone. Unable to recover in time, she tumbled into it. She screamed as she delved into the cyclone of smoke and flames.
"R-rainbow!?" The others called out, unsure of what had happened. To them, it had looked like the pegasus had darted inside. The scream had them fear for the worst. Spike was hit hard.
"K-kirby? Rainbow!?" he said, now even more worried. Dash wasn't one to scream easily like that.
Had he made a mistake?
Then, something odd happened, at least to them. A black swirling mass appeared in the door way of the coach, catching everyone by surprise.
"W-what in the world!?" Twilight shouted, with everyone else saying something along similar lines.
The mass swirled in front of the door way, flickering with bright sparks of light every now and then. The mass made its way outside to reveal a rather dark cyclone, swirling around. Before anyone could try to make sense of the situation, the tornado began to dart around erratically, making its way over towards them.
Everyone started to freak out a bit, but then they noticed a blue shape whizzing around and around within, loudly coughing.
"Hooray Dashie!" Pinkie began to cheer, with the rest of the friends sighing in a sort of relief. "She stopped the fire and saved Kirby!" Everyone began to give a round of applause at Rainbow's apparent act of heroism, but soon stopped when Dash opened her mouth.
"SOME------PONY----- GET------ ME------ OUTTA----- HERE!!!" she yelled as she whirled around, launching into a coughing fit as she inhaled more smoke. This only worried and confused everyone. Had Dash lost control of the cyclone!? However, they didn't get a chance to launch into action at all. The cyclone had made it halfway to their position and stopped, swirling around in place.
". . . .What?" Twilight questioned aloud.
The tornado then squashed itself down a bit, before stretching itself upwards, growing thinner and thinner. A multitude of objects swirled around, now made a bit more visible due to the tornado thinning a bit. Rainbow Dash, a bunch of food, a half burned saddle bag, and two burned but intact crates. The friends were now VERY worried about their friend's safety, but miraculously everything that the cyclone contained seemed dodge and weave around their trapped friend. Twilight was worried about Dash's safety, but she still noticed this.
"What??" She questioned again, even more confused.
Everything within the now stretched cyclone suddenly began to reorient themselves, spinning around with the wind at an angle. Suddenly, the they changed course, beginning to rapidly ascend the cyclone! Everything was shot up and out of the wind's grasp once it reached the top. Rainbow Dash being the first thing ejected. She careened into the sky, eventually managing to reorient herself enough to start flying again. Everything else though plummeted to the ground, managing to stack itself into a haphazard looking pile. The first the crates, somehow managing not to splinter completely apart upon impact, then the remains of the saddlebags, and finally the food rations.
"What?!" Shouted Twilight, baffled. How had everything not been scattered to the four winds?! She was happy her friend was safe, but this made no sense for a rouge cyclone! As everyone stared at the strange mass of wind, Rainbow made her way down to the rest of her friends, covered in bits of ash.
"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy called out, giving her friend a hug as she landed. "Oh thank goodness you're safe!" Rainbow cringed at the tightness of the hug.
"Same Fluttershy.", she squeaked. Pinkie Pie bounced on over, happiness on her face, but a bit of confusion as well.
"Dashie, what happened?" Questioned the party pony. "It's not like you to lose control of a tornado like that!" Dashie looked over to her pink friend.
"Pinkie, I didn't make that cyclone, it was already inside when I went over there!" This just spread confusion to the rest of her friends. However Twilight was too engrossed by the tornado's strange behaviors and didn't notice Dash's words.
"Already. . ? Whaddy'a mean it was already in there?" Applejack blurted. "Its not like tornadoes can just magically---! She stopped, eyes widening as she thought back to what just happened earlier. Her jaw dropped as she realized it. "No way." She whispered, slowly turning to face the cyclone.
Everyone else was puzzled by her change of demeanor, but then quickly started coming to the same realization.
"Dude. . .." "Wow-WIE!" "Could he really?" "Oh my...."
Dash stayed silent. She just eyed the tornado, starting to scowl as she too came to the realization. Twilight was the only one who was still wracking her brain over the thing. But she didn't have to wait much longer.
The tornado began to shrink in size. The smoke began to dissipate from within, wafting off into the sky. As the smoke floated away, the cyclone began to grow clearer. Soon the smoke cleared completely, but the cyclone was still there, and at the very base of it, was a blur of pink. Twilight's eyes started to widen. Suddenly the pink began to slow down in spinning. before coming to a complete stop.
Revealing Kirby.
Twilight's mane frizzed.
"WWWWWWWHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!"
Some time had passed after that incident. The guards had gone aboard the coach to inspect the damage. Luckily, the only real casualties were the supplies, and a bit of Dash's pride. The two guards had informed them that overall everything would still be alright, and made sure to inform the ponies about the specifics about each item they possessed. Twilight bashfully kicked at the ground when they informed her that her ring, DID in fact, imbue magic with the flame element. However, effect applied to ALL magic, not just combat spells. After reassurances that everything would be alright, the group headed off into the distance, hoofs clanking upon chunks of metal ground every so often.
They traveled in relative silence for a while, before Spike spoke up.
"Dude, that was AMAZING!" The drake congratulated. This opened the gates for conversation, the rest of the ponies giving their own form of congratulations.
"Darn Tootin!" Agreed Applejack. "That was su-perb pardner! You wrangled that there fire pretty well all things considered!"
"Indeed!" Rarity added. Though she sniffed a bit and waved her hoof around her muzzle. "Although once we return, perhaps you should partake in a shower dearie. All that smoke has done quite a number on your scent I'm afraid to say." Kirby inspected himself, before giving a shrug. He'd had worse.
"Kirby you were so COOL!" Pinkie Pie, blurted, hopping in front of the group. "You were like WOOOOOSH and VWOOOOOOM, and spinning!" The party pony began to spin rapidly.
"SPIN! Spin spin spin spin spin spin Spinspinspin AAAAAUGGHH!" She cheered, before coming to a halt. Her eyes swirled around as she ended up making herself dizzy. "Wooo, I don't know how you did it!" Twilight looked up.
"Yesssss.. . ." She asked slowly, she stepped up to Kirby. "How did you do that?" The puffball smiled, hopping up as he gave an answer.
"Cantwol Wend!" the puffball chirped. Before anyone could question him further, he started to spin again. Everyone recoiled at first, but they soon began to watch with curiosity as Kirby began to spin away from them. Curiosity changed to wonder as they noticed that Kirby wasn't using his feet to spin himself. The wind picked up, and once again he was surrounded by a cyclone. However it was MUCH smaller than before, barely reaching out beyond his body. They all watched as Kirby began to leave the ground. He floated around for a bit before suddenly stopping his spin. However the cyclone persisted, surprising everyone. Kirby just smiled as he levitated there. With everyone's eyes on him, he gave a wave, before dispersing the wind around him. He stayed up in the sky however, using his power over the air to stay airborne. Most of his audience clapped at his performance. Rainbow however, scoffed, muttering that she could do far more impressive tricks than that.
Demo over, Kirby returned back to the ground, landing just in front of the group. Twilight walked over to him.
"Okay then." She began, with somewhat of a smile. "I guess that just means you're well versed in Wind Magic, though I guess I should've seen that coming, what with the sucking things up and all." She chuckled a bit at this. "That's actually a pretty valid explanation for that stunt back there!" Twilight held her hoof out. "In that case, you can just give the necklace I gave you back, clearly it's just redundant for you." Kirby gave a sad smile.
"I kan't" he replied sheepishly. Twilight's expression iced over, along with everyone else's.
"W-what?" Twilight asked. She rubbed at her ears a bit. "I-i'm sorry, but did you say you can't?" The puffball nodded in reply. Twilight's mane frizzed out a bit. "W-why!? You clearly don't need it! That necklace doesn't power up wind spells, it just lets someone cast one!"
Again Kirby shook his head.
"Need nekwace to kantwol wend." He responded. The ponies played around with his response for a bit, before.
"Ugghhh! Give it UP already!" Rainbow grunted. "Twilight's already said you don't get powers from eating things because its magically impossible!" Twilight nodded her head, expression turning stern."
"Correct." She said firmly, looking at Kirby with a glare. "Kirby, I've tolerated this idea of yours for a while now, but its getting pretty old at this point. She walked closer towards the puff. I can accept you being well versed with wind magic. I can accept you being able to perform powerful shield spells. Heck, I can even accept you been good with illusion spells which honestly, would explain how that hat from before came to existence and the absolute absurdity that your current attire is!" She motioned towards his hat, still swirling with untapped wind energy.
"However!" She said suddenly. "I cannot, I repeat - CANNOT - accept the idea of you eating things in order to use said magic. There's just so many reason why that wouldn't work!" She sighed in frustration, shaking her head. "Just. . . take the compliments and give the necklace back."
Silence fell over the group. Kirby had his arms on his face, his own frustration, rising ever higher. He looked back towards his friends and they simply looked back at him with sullen expression on their faces. Well. . . most of them anyways.
He'd hated to think about it, but despite growing close with some of them, they just couldn't bring themselves to believe him, at least not entirely. They acknowledged that he was trustworthy and that he had skills. But when it came to explanations about said skills or his origins, he had no legs to stand on. It certainly didn't help that the princesses thought that he was crazy. Seems that the residents of the planet hadn't been to space before. . .
Kirby was brought out of his thoughts by feeling on his back. He looked up to find Spike beside him, a claw on his back. Looking back at Twilight, who seemed surprised at his actions.
"Come on Twilight. Spike asked, eyes basically pleading to not escalate anything further. "Just let him keep the necklace, at least until we get back to the Crystal empire. Does it really matter if he has it with him or not?" Twilight looked at her assistant before sighing.
"Spike, the issue here isn't so much the fact that he has the necklace, nor the fact that he's not giving it back." She said. "The issue, at least for me, is that he's using the idea of eating things to gain powers." She looked towards Kirby. "That just doesn't work. Eating is a basic necessity among all living things in some form or fashion. We do it to provide ourselves with energy so that we can go about our daily lives." Twilight had now gone into lecture mode, pacing around the area. Despite this, everyone was paying attention to her, no one getting lost at all. "What Kirby is saying, is that he basically evolves as he eats, which is the whole reason it doesn't work!"
She whipped around to face her friends.
"Evolution takes a LOT of time, and a LOT of energy. If what he said was true, the amount of energy in his system would be ASTRONOMICAL in order to sustain the amount of changing his body would constantly be doing, and that's not counting the space of time those "changes" take place." She walked back up to look at Spike. "And then he can eat just about anything! At what point do his changes become redundant? He can fly, he's certainly strong and durable! What, does he turn into metal if he eats metal? Does he grow wings if he eats a feather?? That amount of adaptability is by all means, . . . just . . . impossible." She placed a hoof on Spike's shoulder, who's eyes were starting to look just a bit wetter. Twilight's frustrations petered out and she sighed.
Spike, I don't mean to call Kirby a liar or anything of the sort. He's helped use plenty of times so far and i thank him for it. But as a mare of knowledge, I know that what he's saying just can't be right. It flies completely in the face of everything pony society knows. . ."
"Twilight, is this really something you want to be saying to poor Spike? Kirby's his friend, and our friend too!" Applejack blurted. "Ah ain't a magic or science inclined gal myself, but Ah do know that anything can be wrong. He could very well be telling the truth!"
"Applejack, you heard the mare." Rainbow butted in. "Puffball here is just making tall tales for no reason." With that, everything devolved into an argument. Most of the six ponies began to try and put their two cents in about what worked, or how things could be wrong. Fluttershy and Pinkie just watched helplessly and tried to settle their friends down. Spike just watched everyone argue. He didn't ask for this. He didn't want any of this!
"Guys stop!" He pleaded, join in Pinkie and Fluttershy's attempts to help stop the arguing. "We don't need to go this deep into it!" But the others didn't listen, too engrossed in their bickering. This continued for a time, until.
POYO!!!
Everyone fell silent at the unexpectedly loud shout. Everyone turned to face the subject of the argument.
Kirby.
The puffball had an uncharacteristically angry expression on his face. Overall it wasn't anything more than him frowning, but it didn't suit him at all. In addition, everyone noted, that he had tear drops in the corner of his eyes. He walked up to the group, and stared at them for a while, before looking at Twilight.
"Twade."
"Twilight looked at him, not quite understanding what he was asking for. Kirby spoke again.
"Twade. Yo wing, fo mi necwace." He explained. Everyone bounced his mangled words through their heads a bit, until they figured out the puff's request.
"You want to trade the Necklace of Wind, for the Ring of flames?" Twilight asked, confused. "Why? It's meant for a unicorn's horn. You won't be able to use its effects unless-!" Everyone stopped as Twilight's words registered with them. Everything grew tense.
"You can't use the ring's power, because you can't even wear it!" Twilight finished. She gave a bit of a chuckle. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!" She turned towards the rest of her pony friends, a determined, but level look at them, she then turned back towards Kirby. "If what you say is correct, by your logic you'll be able to use do stuff involving fire, correct?" The unicorn questioned. Kirby nodded.
"Twilight, come on!" Spike blurted out. "You don't need to try and prove him wrong! It's like Applejack said yesterday, he would know how his own skills work! Just. . . drop it, please!" But the unicorn shook her head.
"No Spike, this idea needs to be proven wrong, like it is." She said. Twilight looked towards Kirby. "Kirby, I accept your trade offer."
Kirby nodded once again. He backed away a bit, before puffing up. He looked skyward, before exhaling. The Necklace of Winds flew out of his mouth. The moment it did so, his tornado hat vanished, as if had never been there at all. Kirby caught the necklace as it came back down, extending the arm he held it in towards Twilight. Twilight nodded back, a look of determination on her muzzle. Using her magic she removed the Ring of Flame from her horn. Her magic aura flickered for a moment, before reverting from its fiery red color, to its usual lavender color.
Both pieces of jewelry out in the open, the two swapped. Twilight looked at the necklace a bit before shaking it in an attempt to remove any digestive fluids it may have had on it, not that it actually had any. Once she was satisfied, she put it on. She looked around a bit, before spotting a decently sized rock, not quite reached by the converting metal. She concentrated her magic, and with a swoosh, she fired a bolt of wind. The poor rock was sent flying, hurling towards the horizon. She nodded, then turned to Kirby.
"And now it's the pest's turn" Rainbow smugly stated. She was shut up by a glare from Applejack.
Kirby held the ring in his arms, it was a very nice piece of jewelry, but all Kirby felt by looking at it was frustration and sadness. He didn't even bother to inhale the ring, he just placed it into his mouth. He took a glace at everyone finally looking at Spike. His angry scowl broke, and turned into an expression of sadness.
Kirby swallowed the ring.
Everyone was caught by surprise when Kirby's body started glowing again. In fact it seemed to be a brighter glow than usual. Familiar stars began to swirl around the Kirby's glowing form. A strong burst of heat burst over the area. The moment this had started happening, the ponies knew what manner of mess they had gotten themselves into.
Applejack pulled her stetson over her face.
Pinkie's mane deflated
Fluttershy's eyes began to tear up.
Rarity and Spike simply looked on in distraught.
Twilight and Rainbow simply watched, eyes wide and jaws dropped.
With a flash and a jingle, Kirby's transformation was complete. He was now vastly different than his Tornado form, sporting fiery red skin and crimson feet. His hat was no longer a ring, but instead a golden tiara which weaved around towards the back of his head. The tiara sported a large green jewel in the center just like the last hat, but it was a different shape and cut. Finally, instead of having a swirling tornado atop his head, he had a brightly burning fire there instead, flickering about wildly. He looked over the group he had come to know since arriving here. Twilight simply stood there and staring at him.
She was shaking.
"N-no. . . " She stammered, disbelief clear on her face. "T-that can't be! I-its impossible. I-t s-SHOULD be impossible!"
Kirby simply looked towards her. He was hurt, but he had to drive his point home. He looked upwards and took in a deep breathe. What followed when he exhaled, was a massive burst of flame. Twilight yelped, jumping back from the heat, but was ultimately okay, Kirby never intended to hurt her, or anyone for that matter. He was just letting out his frustrations. Everyone watched as the fire breathing puffball kept his fire stream up. The flames danced in the sky, and ultimately everyone was mesmerized by the sight. Spike, the only other fire-breather there, would've been impressed if he wasn't feeling so sad.
At last, Kirby stopped using his flame breathe. He looked around, still not saying anything. A tear streamed down his face. The puffball turned away from the group, before setting himself into a charging position. He looked back one last time.
"Ets ben fun. . ." he said sadly. This shook everyone from their shock. Spike was quick to speak words.
"H-hold on Kirby!" He began, desperately trying to think of something. "J-ust wait a-!
FWWWWWOOOOOOSSSSHHHHHH
In a roar of fire, Kirby engulfed himself in flame, then burst forwards with impressive speed. Nobody expected that to happen, and so they were unprepared to give chase. Within seconds. Kirby had disappeared over the horizon. Spike and the mane 6 just stared.
Mistakes had been made.
As Kirby blasted over the horizon with Burning Fireball, he spotted skyscrapers starting to appear. This would've been fine if they didn't have HWC design all over them. The puff began to slow down, realizing that he was starting to enter enemy territory. He eventually stopped, when he made it towards a cliff. As he walked over to the edge, he could see that the largest cluster of skyscrapers were at the base of the cliff he stood at. Looking around, he was shocked to see. . .
Matta Nite!?! Kirby squeaked. in the distance, there was a strange looking mechanized Meta Knight flying around, carrying what looked to be a steel beam. Kirby was frozen in shock. How'd Meta Knight get here!? Then, to his surprise, another Meta Knight flew past. This confused the puffball greatly. He looked around, which was when he realized it.
There were dozens of Cybernetic Meta Knights doing various tasks around the area. Most of them were carrying supplies around, but a few were huddled around various structures, attaching beams and other various supplies to the buildings they were in / on. It only took Kirby a moment to realize.
1: These were not the real Meta Knight, but rather full on Meta Knight robots.
2: They seemed to be building these buildings manually instead of using the mechanizing pylons from before.
3: Each robot he could see came with the claw attachment from before.
4: He was getting ready to storm a construction site, filled with Meta Knight robots, alone.
Kirby surveyed the area a bit, before thinking back on the Ponies and Spike. Honestly, he had forgiven them. He was pretty forgiving by nature, and though the implications of what Twilight and Rainbow said had hurt him, he could understand that they really only wanted what was best for their friends. And judging by how they acted earlier, it was clear that he was currently a rift driving their longtime friendship apart. He didn't wan't to do that at all!
A tear rolled down his eye, before he should his head.
As much as he wanted to go back, he was here now. Kirby was certain they'd come along as their goal was the same as his.
But for now though. It was probably just best to leave now, and come back later when things cooled off.
With that, Kirby hopped down the cliff, plummeting into the buildings below.
Everyone looked out over the horizon, still completely at a loss for words. Kirby had taken off in a burst of flame, leaving everyone far behind and in a sorry state. None of them were the slightest bit happy over what transpired. Twilight Sparkle was still shaking over the events herself, trying to wrap her head around what had just happened.
"Well? Are you happy?" A voice cracked. Everyone turned towards the source. Spike was not happy about the situation, and it showed. A scowl shone on his face and a few tears threatening to start flowing down his scaled face at any moment. He walked directly to Twilight, staring her straight in the eye. "You finally got the truth of how Kirby's powers work, only to find out that the answer was not what you wanted. Now, because of your constant prodding, we may very well have lost a friend!" Tears now actually started to roll down the dragon's face, but he continued. "Why can't you just accept that sometimes you can be wrong? It's certainly not like he tried to hide this from you, you just stubbornly wouldn't believe him when he told you!"
Twilight stepped back, not used to being told off by her assistant.
"Spike I-I. . ." She stammered, trying to think of something to say. However, before she could say anything, Spike turned away from her, and ran. Getting down on all fours, he charged off in the direction that Kirby had gone. Twilight wasn't prepared for that. "W-wait Spike, where are you going?!" Spike didn't even look back when he shouted back his response.
"I'm going to help my friend!" he yelled. With that he ran just a bit faster, making distance between him and the rest of the group. The ponies looked at each other, before taking off after the dragon, one by one. First Applejack, followed by Pinkie and Fluttershy, then Rarity. Twilight and Rainbow lagged behind a bit. They looked at one another for a little while, before giving chase to the rest of the herd as well.
Kirby was not enjoying himself. From the moment he had landed on solid ground, he knew that this would be a little bit tougher than he'd hoped for. The Mecha Knights were everywhere! He was no stranger with back-to-back fights, OR being outnumbered. However, if these robots were even HALF as good as the original, with so many of them around this would be trouble. So Kirby opted to go with a more stealth based approach instead of outright fire blazing through everything. . It annoyed him greatly to have to go with this route, being so used to his normal style of adventuring. But it wasn't like he had a Lollipop or Miracle fruit on standby. These things would be tough.
So Kirby snuck through the construction zone as best he could, ducking into pipes and alleyways whenever possible. It was a long process and he had many close calls along the way. Whenever he'd peer around a corner or peek outside of a pipe, there always seemed to be at least one of the mechanical monstrosities around, all engaged in some sort of task not befitting of the one they were based on. As he thought, some were currently building the structures around him. Others he found using their claw attachments to rake the ground, creating places for roadways to be built later.
However, the most confusing thing he found was towards the heart of the incomplete city, when he eventually manged to get there.
As he ducked into another pipe, he spotted a small line of the bots, all with large metal crates. Every so often the robots would pass the crate along to a pad. Two more of the bots would then attach their claws to the crate, then take off. They would ascend high into the sky eventually disappearing altogether. He noted however, that they seemed to struggle doing this, their jet wings seemingly not being used to taking such strain, even with two of them sharing the work load. Clearly they were combat robots, out of their element.
As Kirby squinted, trying to see if anything would give him a clue, the pipe he was in suddenly jolted! Kirby suppressed a squeak as the world was suddenly thrown into motion. Had he been found out?! A moment passed, then another, then another still. He wasn't being directly attacked or anything, it seemed. Kirby strained his eyes towards the pipe entrance, peering as hard as he dared in order to see what was happening. One of the Mecha Knights had its claw wrapped firmly around the pipe, its jet pack whirring loudly as it flew towards an unknown destination at high speed. Kirby gave a soft sigh. He was just inside of a pipe being transported somewhere. The puffball calmed down and peered out the other end of the pipe as it was carried above the incomplete streets. However, eventually the world around him changed once again, as he was suddenly surrounded by sturdy looking metal and rock walls. No longer could he see roads and buildings, but pipelines and corridors that seemed to stretch in all sorts of directions. Kirby watched as the robotic doppelganger carried his pipe through the corridor.
There were a few Mecha Knights here too, though they were notably fewer in number here. The robots seemed to be using their claw attachments to rake at exposed sections of rock, tearing out large chunks of the wall with ease. Kirby watched with interest as he was carried further inside whatever facility was being built. After a few more minutes of transportation, the corridor opened up into a large circular room. This room in particular was the most developed section Kirby had seen so far. The walls and floor here were completely mechanized, with pipes of various sizes travelling around the edge of the room. The largest of the pipes seemed to rise from the floor, connecting to three massive glass vats built into the wall. Each of the large holding containers bubbled with a green gooey substance within. Things were looking rather familiar to Kirby, as he recalled seeing a similar sight towards the start of this whole ordeal. He didn't get to ponder about it for much longer though, as the pipe he was in suddenly came to a stop.
Kirby squeaked at the sudden stop. He waited a moment, before taking a deep breath to gather his courage. For the first time in a while, he poked his body outside of the pipe. Luckily, the robot that was currently carrying the pipe he was in wasn't facing his direction, so it didn't see him. Quickly looking around the room for anything useful, he took in a few details he hadn't been able to see from the pipe's limited view. In the center of the room was a tall rectangular structure with a multitude of screens and buttons on it. The screens themselves had countless bits data and charts upon them, constantly changing every few moments. What the numbers and charts meant, Kirby had no clue, but whatever this thing was it looked important. He peered back towards the Mecha Knight, which still hadn't noticed him peeking out the pipe yet, before turning back to the strange machine. He took in a deep breath, and shot a fireball towards it, diving back into the pipe as soon as it left his mouth. The fire ball exploded with fiery fury against the computer, scorching some of the screens and singeing a few buttons. However, it was a hardy machine, and the computer didn't seem to take much more damage that. Mecha Knight turned around as soon as the fireball had erupted. It dropped the pipe it had been carrying and jettisoned over towards the damaged computer as an alarm began to blare out. A digital voice began to loudly cry out.
WARNING. WARNING. FIRE DAMAGE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE DAMAGE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2.
As Kirby peered out of the pipe he saw a flash of light blue shine from above. There was a hole in the center of the ceiling where a light blue bulb was flashing rapidly, sending down bursts of blue light that filled the room in its entirety. After a moment of this, the bulb retracted within the hole, which was then sealed off. A multitude of other hatches began to open up around the room, each one having what appeared to be sprinklers of various types. Within moments open hatches lined the walls, floor, and ceiling. The voice started to blare out again.
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 1 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 1 FIRE MEASURES.
With that, the sprinklers came on. They sprayed the room with water, making the room a wet mess within moments. The Mecha Knight was sprayed as well, though it seemed unaffected for the most part. It simply kept looking over the computer in the center. The sprinklers kept spraying water around the room for a while, before they finally stopped. The sprinkler hatches didn't close though. Instead, the hatch with the bulb reopened. The light bulb, flashed once more. Sending another wave of light down throughout the room.
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 1 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 1 FIRE MEASURES.
Kirby was confused, as the sprinklers came right back on, spraying even more water around the room. He peeked outside of the pipe to take a look around, squinting as the water now began to splash him. The computer had been put out. The mechanical Knight was still looking over the computer, its red eye scanning over it. Kirby couldn't see a fire anywhere, but shrugged it off and ducked back into the pipe, as the splashing water was starting to annoy him. Soon the sprinkler system had stopped. The Mecha Knight had been soaked. Kirby watched as the drenched robot suddenly gave off an uncharacteristic spark of electricity. It jolted a bit, before activating its jet booster. It flew into the air before starting to twirl rapidly. It did this for a few moments before stopping, now completely dry. It would seem that the robot was water resistant, but not really water proof. Kirby noted this, thinking that perhaps the water ability could come in handy. Before he could think about it more though the blue bulb had reappeared. It sent down another pulse of blue light and then-
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 1 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 1 FIRE MEASURES.
"Why was it still detecting a fire!?" Kirby thought as once again, the sprinkler system engaged itself. The computer fire had long since been put out, and though he was currently using the Fire ability he was hiding inside of a pipe so it wasn't like it would be able to scan him. . . . right? Kirby looked outside to peek at the bulb, squinting to take a good look at it as it began to retract back into its hatch. It didn't seem to be broken, but. . . . it did look kinda like. . . .
Kirby squeaked as he suddenly saw it for what it was. That was no ordinary bulb. It was a scanner! And not just any scanner, but one that was usually found in the Robobot Armor!
The pieces began to click into place.
From what he could tell and remember, those scanners were top of the line. His own suit of armor was able to scan the entirety of Meta Knight's ship with little effort and only a small mech to power it. With the halberd's power it was able the scan and absorb Star Dream's attacks and use them to fuel and power up the ship's cannons. So with a whole facility being used to power it and its use being a fire detection and fighting system, it made sense that it had no issue being able to detect his hat's natural fire. As long as he had the ability equipped, it would keep the fire systems on!
Kirby began to concentrate, and was about to eject his ability, but before he did he stopped as another thought crossed his mind. As long as he had the fire ability and was in the room, the sprinkler system would stay on. The mecha knight was apparently, not water proof. So if he simply waited it out, eventually the robot would shut down from all the water! With that, Kirby hunkered down with a determined grin on his face, keeping the ability equipped. It could take a while, but he could wait. After all, there was something satisfying about watching the arena take out a boss for him instead of having to fight it himself. Kirby recalled watching a wild Bonkers fall into a pit as he waited for his plan to bear fruit.
As the group ran across the metal ground, some strange structures began to pop up. The group didn't slow down however as their sudden leader kept running forward with all the determination he could muster. Spike ran as fast as he could, barreling forwards at a speed the others didn't even know he could reach. However, he did stop eventually as he came to a cliff. The drake managed to skid to a halt right on the edge of the cliff, balancing precariously over it for a bit, before falling on his rump. The others soon caught up with him, stopping just in front of the edge.
"Spike, you alright?" Applejack questioned. Spike stayed silent for a moment. before giving his reply.
"Yeah, I'm fine I guess." He muttered, only just loud enough for the other to hear him. He didn't say any more than that, instead looking downwards over the edge as he spotted something floating around. The ponies noticed it too. squinting their eyes to try and see it better.
"What is that thing?" Asked Twilight, "I've never seen anything like it." There was a snort.
"It's hideous that's what it is!" Rarity retched, rearing back in protest. "Those ugly shades of black and grey simply just don't go together!" As the unicorn began to rant and rave about how the designs were a disgrace to the fashion world, Twilight began to charge a spell. A transparent screen pulled up in front of her before zooming in on the creature. All except Spike, came closer to Twilight as the spell showed what the creature looked like up close.
It's basic body build was actually quite similar to Kirby, much to the ponies surprise and confusion. However that was where the similarities ended. The main body may have been similar, but everything else was radically different.
It seemed to have a dark grey face with white highlights topped off with a singular red eye in the center of it. It had a black body with feet that were a similar shade of grey as it's face. Both sides of it had large protrusions coning from it, with four large white cylindrical objects on them, two on each side. Behind them were what appeared to be wings and a spiky backside. However, the wings weren't flapping at all, which begged the question, how was this thing flying at all? Overall, whatever this thing was, it didn't look natural, and it was easily one of the most bizarre things the ponies had seen period.
As the group looked at the floating creature, Applejack looked over and saw a few more of them. They were flying towards them in a formation and were approaching at high speed.
"Heads up y'all!" She called out, getting herself into a defensive position. "We've got company!" Everyone looked on over towards the approaching creatures. Fluttershy in particular squeaked back a bit.
"Um . . . Perhaps they're nicer than they look?" She offered with a meek smile. There was a blast. A laser struck right in front of the group, missing Applejack's hooves by a few feet. Fluttershy was rattled. "Never mind." she squeaked.
"How much time had passed!?" Kirby wondered as the sprinkler system went off for the umpteenth time. Nothing had changed. The puff had thought waiting this out would be best, but all that the water that had been sprayed was starting to get on his nerves.
The Mecha Knight didn't seem any worse for wear either! Every time it got drenched to the point of sparking, it simply twirled around in the air for a bit to dry off, then went back to its task, which was apparently installing more pipes in the room. At one point, the room had been covered with enough water that the system actually had to open two hatches to drain it out. Once that had been done, the drains were covered and it went back into its firefighting cycle.
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 1 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 1 FIRE MEASURES.
Kirby groaned as the sprinklers went off yet again, he was about to eject his ability just to end the cycle, before he paused thinking about what the voice had said.
"Fire status acquired. . . Class one fire. . . ." He thought, bouncing the words around in his head a bit, before thinking back to where he had heard similar words. Meta Knight came to mind, specifically whenever he talked about his ship. Kirby recalled how there were different classes of emergencies which let them know how severe things were if something were to go down on the halberd. Everything clicked into place at that. Kirby face-nubbed for not thinking about it sooner.
His plan from before should have worked in theory, and it did, but only somewhat. The robot was getting damaged by the water's constant spraying, but only in negligible amounts. He'd be here for ages before the water did the robot in. But if what the voice was implying was true and he was right about comparing the words the robot and Meta Knight were using, then more intense fire would bring a more intense response from the fire fighting system! Kirby gave a soft chuckle, before taking a breathe to get himself ready for a fight. Though he was a little upset that he had actually had to fight the robot, he was glad that he at least didn't have to hide in the slightly cramped pipe anymore.
As the sprinkler systems shut off once again, Kirby blasted out of the pipe with a burst of flame. The Mecha knight turned around just in time to receive a fireball to its front. It didn't do too much damage, and the Robot soon entered combat mode, it's sword materializing as a bright neon blue blade. It took a stance against its foe ready to charge as the scanner above began to scan the room. As it did so, Kirby began spewing fire wildly. Once again, the computer in the center got hit, and caught fire once more. The robot paid the the computer no attention as it charged towards Kirby at blinding speed.
V.S Stock Mecha Knight
Kirby dodged out of the way as the robot swung its sword at him. Kirby paid the bot no mind, instead spitting more flames around the room. Soon enough. . .
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 2 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 2 FIRE MEASURES.
Kirby nub-pumped the air. He was right! The sprinkler hatches closed for a moment before reappearing. They still had sprinklers in them, but they seemed more heavy duty. Soon, they began blasting water all around the room at a much higher pressure. As the sprinklers went about trying to fight the fire, Stock Mecha Knight was getting blasted with the H2O. It didn't seem to mind it as it swung its energy sword towards Kirby again, but then it let off a now familiar spark. However the robot was a bit more drenched this time around, and the spark didn't shoot out away from it this time. Electricity arched around the Mechanical Knight as it seized and shuddered. An electric explosion popped off of it, and the knight regained its bearings. With a a burst of its jet, it began to spin.
And spin. . . .
and spin. . . . .
It wasn't stopping its spin. Kirby became a bit worried. It had long since dried itself off, but the spinning robot was also preventing any other water from sticking to it. And if he recalled correctly, if it was based on Meta Knight, then it could probably-!
The robotic doppelganger shot forwards towards Kirby, engulfed in its small tornado. Kirby didn't react in time and was hit. The swirling wind shot him high into the air, forcing him into the ceiling with impressive force. So much force, in fact, that Kirby bounced right back off of the ceiling and onto the floor just as hard. The impact had caught Kirby by surprise, and as soon as he connected with the floor, he separated from his ability. Kirby bounced in one direction, and the glowing red star bounced in another. Kirby soon found he bearings and saw the ability star bouncing erratically around the room. He charged after it, mouth open as wide as he could make it. But just as he began to inhale he suddenly felt a sharp pain before finding himself tumbling in a completely different direction than intended. In his haste, he had forgotten about Mecha Knight! The robotic monstrosity had gotten a clean hit in with its energy sword.
Kirby struggled a bit to regain his bearings, those swords hurt quite a bit. He looked around to try and spot his ability star and sighed as he found it bouncing on the other side of the room. He made to make a second attempt at eating it, but suddenly saw a flash of motion.
Kirby ducked down, just in time for a massive energy sword to slash just above him. The pink puff dodged to the right as Stock Mecha Knight slashed repeatedly, then fired a sword beam. Kirby barely avoided it, rolling to the side just in time. Kirby was starting to worry. He was quickly running out of time, as the ability star began to flash white. Mecha Knight had once again started to close the distance between them, and Kirby was once again forced to make dodge to the side. But as he did so he spotted the pipe, he had been hiding in earlier. Thinking quickly, Kirby inhaled as hard as he could, mouth open so wide his body was starting to stretch to accommodate.
The vortex whipped about savagely, with pink bands of energy whirling about within the wind. The pipe was quickly sucked in, no match for Kirby's Super Inhale. As soon as he felt the piece of metal enter his mouth, Kirby reared back as much as he could, before spitting the pipe right back at the robot as it was. Kirby rarely ever used Exhale, but the puff did have to admit that it had it's uses. The force of Exhale had been enough to blast Kirby back a bit of distance, closing the gap between him and his ability star. The pipe however, rocketed towards Stock Mecha Knight at tremendous speeds. With a resounding clang, the pipe collided with the hostile robot, knocking it off of its feet and sending it flying back. Kirby didn't admire his handiwork though, he had to hurry up. Bounding over the top of the computer, Kirby mad a mad dash towards the ability star which was now starting to flash white even faster.
He only had a few seconds left, this would be close!
Kirby opened his mouth and began to inhale once more. He pushed forwards with all his might, fighting against the natural force of his inhale vortex in order to move forwards while inhaling. Lucky for him, the ability star bounced right into the vortex. But was he too late?
As the star shot towards Kirby's open maw, the scanner reappeared, ready to make its scan of the room once more. There was the sound of an engine, but strangely enough not the sound of The Mecha Knight's jetpack. Instead, the robot had opted to shoot homing missiles in an attempt to intercept Kirby! Both the star, and the missiles, were rapidly closing the distance! Kirby inhaled harder, slowing down as the vortex kept trying to push him back. The scanner above shot off it's scanning light once more, just as everything erupted into explosive flames. The missiles had struck true, the explosive payload detonating upon the spot Kirby had stood. Thick black smoke began to billow from the area of impact.
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 3 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 3 FIRE MEASURES.
All of the sprinkler hatches were sealed shut for a moment. Then, without warning, 3 large rings materialized within the room, encompassing the room in it's entirety. One was on the ceiling, another ran along the center of the wall, and the last was on the border of the floor. Each ring had a multitude of hose nozzles along them. The rings shuddered for a moment, before letting loose a multitude of mighty water streams and mist. Stock Mecha Knight was caught in one of the streams. The pressure was so strong, the robot was forced into the wall and was stuck there as the high pressured water kept it suspended. The smoke began to clear as the fire within the chamber had begun to die down. And as the smoke dissipated completely, there lay an injured Kirby. A bright red color with a waning fire crown atop his head.
Kirby had been lucky enough to get his ability star back, and even luckier to be able to re-copy it. He wasn't lucky enough to avoid the missiles though, but he'd survive, he'd been through much worse than a simple bomb attack. As he righted himself, he noticed that the sprinkler rings had begun to rotate. Considering the fate of the Mecha Knight that lay on the other side of the room, seizing and shaking, it was apparent enough that he should avoid crossing the streams. And so Kirby did; jumping, squatting, and whatever else he could do to avoid getting blasted by the high powered water streams. However as he did so, the Mecha Knight suddenly stopped seizing for a moment. . . . before going absolutely hay wire.
Sparks and electricity arched around the machine as it began to move erratically, flailing it movable parts wildly. It's claw extension, which had been put away a while back, whirred into action, and began swinging around wildly. The electricity sparking off the now berserk machine was so intense, that the soaked floor was starting to pick it up. Electricity began to arch across the ground, forcing Kirby to stay in the air. This heavily hindered his ability to avoid the streams of water as the water rings were spinning faster and faster.
After a while, the rings began to slow down, and mercifully they stopped phasing away as if they had never existed in the first place. Kirby remained hovering, until the pool of water beneath him drained away. The scanner soon reappeared and began to scan the room once more.
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 1 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 1 FIRE MEASURES.
The original sprinkler system came back online, and began spraying the room once again. However it did nothing to the berserk Mecha Knight, which had begun shooting lasers around the room erratically. The shiny surface acted like a mirror reflecting the lasers around the room. Kirby once again found himself force to dodge a multitude potentially devastating attacks. However, some of the lasers had begun to rebound into the hatches, destroying some of the sprinklers.
Kirby winced. That wasn't good. The sprinkler system seemed to have become less effective as the fight had progressed, and now he had a berserk Mecha Knight copy shooting and flailing around like a mad-puff! He spat a fireball towards the mechanical hazard in hopes that it would do some sort of damage, but to his horror the archs of electricity surrounding the machine deflected it! Kirby was horrified. He quickly shot two more fireballs at the robot, to the same result. By pure happenstance, the machine had been damaged in such a way that it now had a spark barrier surrounding it! What were the chances? Kirby didn't have time to think about it as the machine dashed towards him, spinning around with its claw extended. The fiery puff barely had time to jump over the "attack" as the robot barreled underneath him, colliding with the wall on the other side of the room.
Kirby landed on top of the computer in the center of thew room. The mecha Knight had recovered and had now begun flying. It sputtered a bit, before launching off in a random direction, ricocheting off of any walls it hit. And as if that wasn't enough, it began firing lasers once again! Kirby desperately bounced around the room, trying his best to avoid getting hit. Kirby thought hard about what to do. If he couldn't hit the erratic robot with regular attacks, the he'd just have to do what he had been doing before!
Hiding behind the computer for cover, Kirby began spitting fireballs as fast and as hard as he could. Each one burst into a pillar of flame as they hit the ground. Thanks to Stock Mecha Knight damaging the sprinkler system, the fires weren't being diminished as much as before. Kirby blasted fireball after fireball, only being slowed down the occasional laser blast he had to avoid. Soon the scanner reappeared once again. Kirby peered around the chamber, his fires were okay, but they were slowly burning out, and he needed the sprinkler system on high power if he wanted to end the fight once and for all! Kirby bounced back on top of the computer as the bulb started to glow. This would be close!
The puffball began to spew fire breath in front of him. The bulb hummed as the light it gave grew brighter. Stock Mecha Knight, had begun firing laser at double the rate, sending beams of lights bouncing around the room lime crazy. Kirby couldn't really dodge at the moment as he needed concentration for what he was trying to do. He did as best as he could stepping to the side or lowering his body as his flame breath slowly started to retreat towards him. The laser started coming faster and faster as Kirby frantically did his best. He just need a little bit more time! The scanner was glowing quite brightly by now and it put Kirby on edge as he was afraid of something going wrong. Stock Mecha Knight seemed to have a moment of clarity all of a sudden. Materializing its energy sword as large as it could make it, it swung out to the side, before making a charge towards Fire Kirby, closing the distance.
3
2
1
KABOOM
Kirby spontaneously combusted, pulling off a perfect Fireball Inferno!
. . .
. . .
Well, almost perfect.
Kirby hadn't been paying attention to his flame breath as he was too preoccupied with trying to avoid the lasers, and so he hadn't braced himself for the move. So Kirby was currently wide eyed from the sheer amount of heat he was currently radiating, starting to singe even himself! The computer beneath him started to melt from the heat, and Stock Mecha Knight was blown backwards by the explosive power of the move. At that moment, the scanner came to life, and made its scan of the room. . .
WARNING. FIRE DETECTED IN MAIN COMPUTER ROOM #2. FIRE STATUS ACQUIRED. FIRE CLASSIFIED AS CLASS 4 FIRE. ENGAGING CLASS 4 FIRE MEASURES.
Four circular hatches opened on the bottom of the floor. They didn't seem to have anything special upon them aside from a grate. On the ceiling however, two massive hatches were opened. There was nothing within them except the inky black void of nothingness. Kirby ended his attack and peered up at the two holes in the ceiling. Then without warning, water erupted out of the two vents. The water swept around the room starting to flood the chamber. Kirby watched as the water lever rapidly began to rise, before starting to hover to make distance between him and the water. The Mecha Knight sputtered a bit, before taking off as well.
Once again, it began to fire lasers, but at this point it was reaching its limit. It hovered slowly towards Kirby only shooting a laser every now and again. Despite its damage, its jet booster was still capable of better flight than Kirby's hover, and was closing the distance rather effectively. Kirby only had a bit of reprieve when the robot seized a bit in midair. Kirby thought for a bit before looking at the pillars of water pouring from the ceiling. Slowly Kirby floated his way over towards it making sure the robot was still following him. Thankfully it was, and he was able to dodge a newly shot laser due to him checking behind him. Kirby slowly floated around the column of water, hovering just on the other side of it.
Stock Mecha Knight, registering the most direct path towards Kirby, hovered after him in a straight line. Eventually, it flew right into the water pouring down from the ceiling where it was forced down towards the flooded floor. Kirby watched as electricity arched around the entire room, aided by all the water. However the water level was still rising, much to Kirby's horror. He floated higher to avoid getting electrocuted, but the water just continued to rise, eventually he reached the ceiling but the water just wouldn't let up! Kirby pulled his feet up, in an attempt to delay the terrible pain he was about to feel. As the water crept ever closer, he shut his eyes and braced himself. Soon, the water connected with him. . . . and he felt perfectly fine.
Kirby opened an eye. The water was still rising, and was beginning to cover him, but he wasn't being electrocuted! As the water fully enveloped him and forced his ability to subside, Kirby pulled out a snorkel, quickly putting it on. The water was clear as crystal and peering down, Kirby could see the Stock Mecha Knight below him, sitting on the floor motionless. Kirby began to swim toward it, but ultimately was unable to make it over there. About halfway through the water had begun to drain from the room where the four grates were. The suction pulled Kirby downward, but Kirby wasn't too worried. He could breathe underwater, so everything was fine. Soon the water had drained completely, leaving a deactivated Mecha Knight, and a soaked Fire Kirby.
Kirby inspected the deactivated machine for a moment, before he heard a familiar hatch open up once more. Kirby swiftly spun around and launched a high powered fire ball upwards into the scanner's hatch. The fireball exploded, forcing the scanner to bulge out of the hatch far more than it should. It swayed from its position from the ceiling before whatever was keeping it suspended gave an audible snap, and the device plummeted to the ground.
*CLANG*
Kirby ran up to the device, looking it over. These things were hardy, it took the fall like a champ. Not even so much as a scratch! Seeing no reason to leave this thing around, Kirby inhaled it, storing it within his copy pallet for later. Then he turned his attention towards the Stock Mecha Knight once more. It was as he'd thought. These things were tough indeed. The toughest version of a Mecha Knight robot he had fought so far. . . and there were so many of them before! Kirby sighed. This would be a lot tougher than he had realized. Stealth had gotten him this far, but he didn't think it would last forever, he stood out like a sore thumb!
Frustrated, Kirby kicked the robot. It shifted from the impact, before slumping down even further, mask falling off in the process. The now faceless robot lay there, not moving anymore than that, reduced to nothing more than glorified scrap metal. Kirby looked at the hunk of junk for a moment, before turning his attention to the mask. Then, his face lit up, an idea crossing his mind. It was downright crazy, but perhaps, crazy enough to work! Kirby turned his attention towards the Stock Mecha Knight, and inhaled it. Even though it could no longer resit the pull of the vortex, it still took a bit of effort on Kirby's part to fit the oddly shaped machine in his mouth. Eventually, he manged to work it in, and swallowed.
Kirby's body glowed once again, shimmering like a star in the night sky. Then he began to shimmer more. . . and more. . ! In fact his skin wasn't just shimmering, it was downright shiny! His body began to morph into a more polygonal shape, but ultimately retained a bit of roundness. Kirby's color also began to shift, first turning from his crimson red, to his usual pink coloration. Then again from pink to a shiny metallic grey. Finally, Kirby's fire crown disappeared, but unlike his other copy abilities, there wasn't a replacement one for his new transformation. In a mere moment, the transformation was complete. It wasn't one that he used very often, he recalled only using it like. . .three times maybe, but it could still be helpful! Kirby took a step forward and--!!!
*THOOUNK!!*
The very ground beneath him shook as soon as Kirby's foot touched the ground. Kirby moved his foot to see that he had left a crater in the shape of his foot in the floor. Kirby face-nubbed. There were many reasons why Kirby never used the Metal Ability in a casual setting, and though this was far from casual, it only served as a reminder of all the times he'd used the ability and ended up destroying things more often than he'd ever wanted to.
Metal was a peculiar ability. Rather than giving Kirby power over metal or anything like that, Metal simply turned Kirby into metal. And a very heavy and very durable kind of metal at that. It worked in a similar fashion to the Stone Ability, so much so that Kirby considered it a cousin of sorts. However, there were some notable differences that made Stone the more appealing ability. First and foremost, Kirby couldn't deactivate it. Being metal in and of itself was the power granted by Metal, so Kirby could only "turn it off" by ditching the ability entirely.
Secondly, Metal hindered Kirby's movement tremendously. When Kirby first discovered the ability he quickly found out that whatever metal he was made of was ungodly heavy. He could move around just fine, same as if he was Normal, but he found out that the world didn't exactly react the same way. It took a lot of minor earthquakes, craters, and property damage before Kirby managed to learn how to step "lightly" with the ability, and even then he still managed to make tremors in about a miles radius.
Lastly, Kirby was inexperienced with the ability. Stone was one of the first abilities Kirby had discovered towards the start of his adventuring career. He had only discovered Metal fairly recently and hadn't really used it all that much. At best, he used it almost exactly the same way he used stone, crushing his foes with his weight. But while Stone evolved other moves, Metal never really had the chance to, and as such wasn't as versatile an ability yet.
Kirby took a deep breath,steeling himself for what could either be the greatest plan ever or the biggest mistake he's made so far. He began slowly and deliberately making his way over towards the mask that lay on the floor. The room he was in shook with every step he took, but at the very least he wasn't destroying the floor with his new walking pace.
Once he made it over to the mask, Kirby picked it up. The metallic puff looked it over before affixing it to his face. It was a little crooked, but otherwise stuck to him just fine. Happy with the result, Kirby looked around a bit before spotting what appeared to be a blast door, likely the way that he'd been brought in here. He slowly, but surely made his way over to the door. He gave it a look over before continuing to walk forwards. The poor door never stood a chance, bursting to pieces as Metal Kirby plowed right through it with all the speed of an angry tortoise. Kirby looked at his new surroundings, now in a corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions. Kirby looked both ways for a bit before heading towards the right, shaking hallway with every step he took.
