Chapters "Spike! Spike! Look outside!"
"Hu- what?" The dragon got up from the bed and ran over to the window with Twilight, watching as millions of lights crossed the sky. "I didn't know there were going to be shooting stars out!"
"I know! I would have stayed up and got the telescope out!" Twilight smiled at the meteor shower. "I guess Princess Luna likes to surprise us from time to time."
Spike nodded and watched the stars along with Twilight. His eyes shifted slightly, being a dragon he had a natural instinct to noticing shiny objects, and he saw it even as it shot past. "Twilight!! One of them is landing nearby!"
"What?"
"Come on!" The dragon shouted, rushing downstairs. Twilight raised an eyebrow before flying after him.
He burst out the door and ran for Ponyville park. Twilight scooped him up and put him on her back before taking off into the sky. Sure enough one of the stars was coming close to Ponyville, it was a golden light that shook as it fell. Twilight frowned as she watched it's path go across the sky and land in the middle of the Everfree. But a few minutes later, inspiration struck. She noted where it crashed and flew back to the tree.
"We aren't going after it?" Spike asked, somewhat disappointed.
"Let's get everypony together tomorrow and make a day of it. It'll be fun. I've always wanted to see what a shooting star looks like up close..."
☆☆☆
"Dear, do we have to get filthy like this in the middle of the forest!"
"It's just a little more ways Rarity." Twilight assured. "We'll be there before we know it."
Fluttershy nodded and inched along, jumping at random noises.
Pinkie was pronking along ahead, and was the first to spot the glow. "I found it!" She shouted happily.
The others hurried to her position and noticed the golden glow shining from between the trees. They moved past them and into a clearing. In the center there was a crater, and in the center of that was a strange rounded point of yellow, glowing incredibly bright, lodged in the ground.
"Is that the star?" Rainbow asked hesitantly, moving closer to touch it. A shiver passed through her as her hoof made contact and she drew it back. She considered the object another second and put her hoof back on it, letting the feeling of the star wash over her.
"What does it feel like?" Twilight asked, mystified by Rainbow's sudden calm.
"It's warm... and... I dunno, comfortable? It feels... safe."
"C-could I try?" Fluttershy asked. A few seconds later all six of them placed a hoof on the surface of the star and felt the same feeling of comfort wash over them.
They all jolted as they were brought back to the real world by a sudden noise. "Poyo!"
Rarity turned and gave a gasp at the pink ball with a face. It's eyes were blue-black ovals, it had a big smile, and no other real features, no nose, no chin, just a ball. There were stubs on the sides that may or may not be ears. And the ball rested on two large red feet. It was a very simple creature.
Fluttershy hesitantly walked over to it. "H-hello, little guy..."
"Hi!"
"Hi!" Pinkie Pie responded, joining Fluttershy by the creature.
"Hi!"
"Hi!"
"Hi!"
"H-"
"Stop. Please." Rainbow Dash said, putting her hoof over Pinkie's mouth.
"What's your name?" Fluttershy asked the puffball, bringing her head closer to the ground to be on level with him. He was just below two feet tall.
"Kabi !" It said cheerfully, doing a little jump.
"Well, hello Kabi!" Fluttershy said happily, giving it a return smile. "I haven't seen a creature like you before. What else can you say? Are there more of you? What do you eat?"
'kabi' gave a little jump and a squeak at Fluttershy's last word. "Food! Food!" 'kabi' cheered.
"Oh you poor dear, you're hungry aren't you, well come with me, we're going to find you something to eat!"
"Fluttershy!" Twilight called, Fluttershy had already scooped the puffball into her hooves and took off, "What about the star?"
"Oh, that'll be fine. I need to get food for this poor Kabi."
"Don't worry Twi, we'll be able to fly it home with just you and me." Rainbow assured.
Twi sighed and waved to Fluttershy as she flew off with the pink ball. "Alright gang, time to unearth the rest of this thing.."
Twilight lit her horn, and Rarity followed suit, both enveloping the tip of the star and yanking upwards. But after a few seconds the purple and blue magic suddenly turned yellow as the star glowed even more, dispersing it. "Well... that was unexpected." Twilight said.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack were next, trying to get their hooves under the star and push. But there wasn't enough room. Applejack sighed. "Maybe we should send Rainbow and Twi off to get some shovels, cause this thing ain't budging."
"Shovels? I for one am not digging."
"Yeah! We don't need shovels silly!" Pinkie said, hopping over and standing on the tip of the star. "We-" she jumped up and landed back on the glowing bump with some force, making it shift somewhat. "-just-" She did it again, the star shifted even more. "-need to-" another jump, another shift. "-knock it loose!" She jumped the last time and the star was no longer caught in the rock. "See? What did I tell you easy as pi-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" The star shot upward extremely fast, Pinkie being carried with it. She yelled as the star coasted over the forest in seconds, crashing through trees and rocks like nothing, and protecting her as well. She flew across the sky incredibly quick, the wind pulled on her mane and her eyes began to water. "Woohoo!!" She shouted, putting both hooves in the air. She tried to turn it, and found herself successful, it turned sharply and began bashing through trees, they exploded around her and she panicked, pulling up and sending the star rocketing back into the air.
She saw the crater where her friends were waiting. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had flown up to try and see her, and both dodged to opposite sides when they saw the star heading toward them. "Incoming!" Pinkie screamed happily, firing past the two flying ponies and making a new crater a few feet away from the first. She tumbled off the star and landed on her head a few feet away.
"Pinkie!" Rainbow screamed, rushing over to her. Applejack quickly helped Pinkie onto her seat and frowned at the Pinkie's head swaying with dizziness.
"That..." Pinkie began. "was a doozy!" She collapsed with a smile on her face and her friends looked at each other nervously.
Rainbow Dash moved forward and hesitantly touched the star again. It shifted and lifted into the air, but as Rainbow Dash drew back from it it glowed slightly less, but it remained in place. Twilight frowned at the star. It was literally a star shape. It had more rounded corners, but it actually was just a big, floating, glowing star shape. It was like a colt's version of a shooting star.
She was crushed. "It... it's so simple?! You'd think that Princess Luna would have a little imagination!" Twilight whined. "oh well... how do we bring it back into town? We can't touch it or it might go insane, and we can't move it with magic..."
"I could pilot it to Ponyville!" Pinkie offered, getting back to her legs and brushing herself off. "I think I was getting the hang of it!"
Twilight frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Yep! Come on, everypony grab on!"
"No." Rarity said simply.
"Ah don't think so." Applejack said, taking a step back from the star.
"Uhhh...." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at the star.
Twilight shook her head. "We'll think of something else... Applejack, do you have that rope still?"
"It's here." She tossed the noose to Twilight. She took it in her magic and slowly wrapped it over and around the glowing yellow star.
"Now... let's see if it works.." She gave a tug on the rope and the star followed. "Well! Let's go bring this to town, I need to study it..."
☆☆☆
A few hours ago...
Luna looked up at the sky with awe. Her eyes were pinpricks, her mouth wide open. "How... how did this happen?! I did not cause this!" She shouted. She rushed down the steps and over to a white door emblazoned with the sun. "Out of the way guards! I have something urgent to tell Tia!!" the guards managed to get out of her way fast enough, and she swung the door open. "Tia, look outside!"
"Huh? What?"
Luna lifted her sister from the bed with magic and set her on the balcony. "Look! Look at the sky!"
"Oh luna! It's beautiful, why didn't you tell me you were going to do a shower?"
"This is not Our handiwork sister!! This... this... unnatural storm is from something else!!"
"What do you mean?"
"These are not my stars!!"
Both sisters then felt a shiver as a black sphere rose from the ground. Celestia's horn flared up and she stood in front of Luna, watching it carefully. A single brown eye opened, and looked at Celestia.
"W-what are you, creature?"
It became skinnier over a short time, and a cloak and shoulder pads formed out of it. A helmet covered it's head and it pulled out a sword. Luna saw the weapon and stood forward. "You think you can threaten the Princesses of Equestria?!" She fired a beam at the creature, and through she saw it was hurt, it merely got back up and flew toward Luna, covering her in dark matter.
"RELEASE HER!!" Celestia screamed, stomping a hoof and creating a fireball.
The darkness dissipated around Luna, and the blue alicorn turned toward Celestia, but her eyes were darker. "Stop this, sister! We are fine!"
"A-are you sure?"
"Most definitely sister..." she gave a grim smile. "That creature..,. it was warning us."
"Warning us?! So it was threatening us!"
"no! You misunderstand, dear Sister. It was warning us of a different threat... she turned toward the sky, which was still brightly lit with falling stars. "...monsters led by creatures called Star Warriors... conquerors that go from world to world and wreak havoc... they're coming right now, as we speak they fall from the sky en' masse..."
Celestia looked at the shooting stars with horror. "...that many... are all of those meteors star warriors?!"
"No... most are monsters... former victims that they recruited, but dangerous creatures all the same... those stars will drop their riders and dissipate... but the Star warriors and their allies... they'll be riding them, faster than a Pegasus can fly... that's what the creature told me..."
Celestia looked very calm all of a sudden. "Luna... are you sure of this?"
"Yes... it showed me it's thoughts... it showed me two of the Star Warriors who managed to destroy his race... their names..."
"Names?"
"Metaknight.... and... Kirby...
"Captain Vul... are we ready?"
"Yes sir Metaknight! We are a-ok and ready to launch!"
"Good... soon, we will end Dreamland's lazy lifestyle, under the rule of the iron masked Halberd!" Metaknight brought his blue cape closer to him as he looked out over the distance. "Halberd... LAUNCH!"
A thousand cheers marked the lifting off of the massive airship.
"Straight ahead, Captain we-"
"What are you doing Metaknight?!"
Metaknight sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Darn it Dedede... what does it look like!? I'm conquering Dreamland for it's own good."
"But I'm the King!"
"I gave you a list of things the King was responsible for, but seeing as you haven't marked a single thing off it, I'll have to take the ruling of Pop Star into my own hands."
Dedede rolled his eyes, before pulling his giant Hammer out from behind him. "Oh? And what are you going to do if Kirby shows up again?"
Metaknight narrowed his eyes and pulled the cloak closer. "I'm going to defeat him honorably in a duel!"
"Both of us have been in that one-way street before."
"Quiet! I am going to prove myself the greatest Knight in existence! And that includes being greater than Kirby!"
Dedede raised an eyebrow. "I thought you brought Galacta Knight back to life a while ago and fought him..."
"...I needed help from Swordknight to finish him off... I'm still too weak... so..."
"So what?"
"I let him go into space, I'll find him again someday, after I've beaten Kirby once and for all!"
King Dedede rolled his eyes. "Bandana, go get me something to eat. I want to stay and watch Kirby beat up Metaknight."
"Yessir King Dedede sir!" The Waddle Dee said happily, turning around on one foot, but he fell as the entire ship tilted.
"Sir Metaknight!" The bird creature at the wheel shouted. "We're sensing a dimensional disturbance!"
"We're going to crash!" Sailor Dee shouted.
Metaknight facepalmed and sighed.
☆☆☆
"Oh... oh dear, uh... Kabi, stop, please, if you wouldn't mind, I still need to feed the other animals too..." The pink puffball was thoroughly going through the cottage, inhaling every article of food he found. He came to a bird cage where a pink bird was eating some seed. The puffball opened his mouth and started inhaling, a whirlwind appeared around his growing mouth, dust, dirt, nails, and birdseed all flew into his mouth, but the cage became unhinged and came off the wall. The bird inside squawked furiously before the puffball swallowed it and the cage whole.
"NO!" Fluttershy screamed, running up to the puffball and putting her hooves in it's mouth. "Keetie?! Keetie?! Spit him out right now!!"
But the puffball's mouth was empty, and considering his mouth was the entire inside of his body, she could only wonder where the rest of the food was. The ball saw her expression and inflated, it's face contorted in effort. He spit out a cage with a traumatized bird in it.
"Keetie!!" Fluttershy opened the cage and nuzzled the little pink bird. "Oh thank goodness..." she turned to the puffball, who was beginning to look scared. "What do you have to say for yourself, how dare you try to eat Keetie. I know you're hungry, but there's no more to eat here if you're going to try eating my animal friends, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave!"
The puffball lowered it's eyes and shuffled slowly toward the door. "..poyo..."
Fluttershy's eyes softened somewhat. "I'm sorry, but you can't eat my animal friends, and you already ate most of my storage... and I still need to feed my animals..."
Kirby nodded and walked toward the door, opening it with his stub and sliding out.
He sniffed the air with his nonexistence nose, and finding a sweet aroma he knew well, took to the air after it. He sucked in a deep breath and inflated. He wiggled his arms and became airborne. Fluttershy followed out the door and her eyes widened as the puffball floated slowly toward Sweet Apple Acres. She winced as a strong wind came by and watched as he began panicking, blown off toward the direction of Ponyville.
Her eyes widened. "Wait... oh no! It's like the parasprites all over again!! I can't let it reach town!" She galloped after him.
☆☆☆
The Halberd was going down. Again . "Metaknight!! What's going on?"
"King Dedede, please be patient, my men are doing the best they can."
"Oh my gosh we are all going to die." A waddle dee with a blue bandana said, looking out the window. "And we're crashing onto solid ground."
"What?! We were over Orange Ocean a minute ago!!"
"I believe it has something to do with the dimensional disturbance a few seconds ago..." a bird creature in an admiral's uniform responded. "We aren't even on Pop Star any more, let alone Dreamland."
"What?!" Dedede shouted. "Where's my Castle?! Where's my precious Castle."
"SHUT UP." Metaknight shouted to everyone on the bridge. The blue puff gave a deep 'huff' before continuing. "Now then, the first order of business is saving the Halberd, it's our only way home. The only way you'll see your Castle again, Dedede."
Dedede nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
Metaknight turned toward Bandana Dee , "Take the wheel, me and Dedede need to get to the engine room. Try to restart it... if we crash..."
"Yes?!"
"...it was great knowing you." Metaknight bowed and dashed to the door.
"What does that mean? What does that mean?!" Bandana shouted.
Dedede hurried to the elevator and waited for them to descend down to the engine room. Crazed monsters paraded back and forth, panicking at the alarms.
"Metaknight, what do we do!?" Cried one, who looked like a skull with a viking helmet.
"Ax, calm down. Tell me, is something wrong with the reactor?" He brought his voice lower. "Did Kirby break in again?"
"I don't know sir!! All the Wheelies started panicking, they're no longer powering the ship!" Metaknight nodded and followed Axknight down the hall to the massive generator. The single floating gem in the central conduit was working, transferring all the energy that passed through it... but there wasn't any energy. He saw the Wheelies, wheel-like monsters that could spin forever, panicking, bouncing in place as the ship crashed. Metaknight cleared his throat while flaring his wings and the monsters turned to him.
"Ahem. Start spinning in the right direction, or we're going to crash ." The Wheelies hesitated a few more seconds, but they started spinning again. Metaknight listened carefully to the hum of the engines below, satisfied that the ship had enough power he called the bridge. "Bandana, Captain Vul, we have the reactor working again, have we stabilized?"
"We lost both wings, but we might be able to cushion the landing!" Vul shouted into the radio.
"That will have to do." Metaknight said simply. "Prepare a lifeboat, we need to test the conditions in this dimension. Dedede, you're going down with the scouting party."
"What? But..."
"The sooner we learn more about this world, the sooner we can find a way out of it..."
"...Alright, but only because I'm allowing it!"
"..Of course... my er... 'king'..."
Dedede nodded and marched toward the lifeboats. He turned to Axknight. "If the team has any problems at least they'll have someone as strong as Dedede with them to get them out of a jam."
"Ah."
☆☆☆
"Look everypony! We caught a Shooting Star!!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Dash!" Twilight whispered. "I want to study it in peace before announcing our discovery!"
"Why? I mean look at it, it's not going anywhere."
Applejack tied the star to a fencepost and frowned at Rainbow Dash. "Don' jinx it."
"Whatever. Nopony's here anyway..."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "That's a good point... where is everypony?"
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, THE OMEGA PARASPRITE IS COMING!!" A stallion shrieked, leading a stamped past them.
The five mares watched as the stampede shrank into the distance.
"omega-" Twilight began. But then a familiar sound interrupted her thoughts.
"Poyo!" Exclaimed the puffball, running towards them. It jumped forward and landed on the star. It glowed, but the Applejack jumped forward and grabbed the rope in her mouth before it could get away. The star pulled her as well, but Pinkie grabbed her tail before she took off, and Rainbow Dash did the same for Pinkie. She pumped her wings back managing to let out a groan. Rarity and Twilight flared their horns and pulled on the rope with magic, but they were being pulled along by the Shooting Star as well. The puffball turned around, confused as to why the star wasn't shooting forward, but seeing the chain of struggling ponies, smiled and let out a friendly "Poyo!" He jumped forward and walked over the rope, deactivating the star and letting all the ponies fall back to the ground in an exhausted pile.
Fluttershy came along soon after that. "Oh! Oh dear.. what happened?"
"Th-the star..." an exhausted Twilight managed.
"Oh! You got it out, could I see?" Fluttershy flew up to it and put a hoof on it, causing it to glow again.
Five shouts of "WAIT!" shocked Fluttershy off of it.
"W-what's wrong?"
"When Pinkie stood on that thing she shot around across the sky uncontrollably. "Rainbow Dash summarized.
"Oh! Is she alright?"
"I'm great! It was really fun, you should try it!"
"So, Fluttershy what was that bit about an omega parasprite?"
"Oh... um... Kabi was eating all the food he could find... he emptied the farmer's market already..."
"Yum!" the puffball agreed.
Applejack narrowed her eyes. "That thing better have not touched my stand or It'll find out why I've won all those blue ribbons in the rodeo..."
The puffball stepped away from Applejack nervously and spied the rope. He opened his mouth and Fluttershy pushed Applejack away from it. He sucked in the rope, freeing the star, and swallowed it.
All six mares' eyes widened as the puffball became a bright white, when the glow disappeared it was wearing a stetson hat and was carrying a whip. "Whip!" the puffball shouted cheerfully.
Applejack pulled out another length of rope. "Is that a challenge ... puffball?"
"....Poyo."
"Ah'll take that as a yes!" She threw the lasso forward, trying to rap it around the puffball. At that moment it inhaled, becoming twice as big. AJ caught him, but he let go of the air, escaping the rope and throwing a lasso of his own. Applejack dodged and began twirling her lasso again. 'kabi' ran forward, and whipped the rope to catch AJ's leg, but she jumped out of the way and caught the puffball's whip in a knot with her own rope. She yanked on it, sending the puffball under her. Less than twenty seconds later she managed to completely tie up the puffball. "And that's what ya get." She said with finality, spitting to her side.
"ooh... don't hurt him.. he's just hungry..." Fluttershy said, picking up the tied-up puffball and cradling him in her hooves. "He just needs to be taught a little restraint.."
"Poyo." 'kabi' agreed.
Spike ran toward them as Fluttershy untied the puffball. "Twilight! Letter from the Princess!"
"What?!" Twilight flew toward Spike and grabbed the scroll with her magic.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Twilight read them the letter, when Rarity frowned. "...did she say that the most dangerous one was named 'Kirby'?"
"Yes?"
Rarity turned to the puffball. "What's your name again... darling?"
"Kabi!"
"Do you mean... 'kirby'?"
"Poyo!" Kirby said with a happy nod.
Twilight looked at the puffball and glanced at the rope. "Fluttershy... you might want to start tying him up again..."
☆☆☆
"Come!" Metaknight shouted to his legion of monsters. "...The breach has closed... and until we can figure out how to open it again... this is our new land... our new Dreamland."
Dedede frowned. "Waddle Dees! Begin work immediately on constructing our new Castle near the Halberd, recruit as you go along. If anyone meets up with any locals, inform them of their new benevolent ruler King Dedede the great!"
"Yessir!" came a cry of high-pitched voices.
Metaknight stepped forward to stand next to Dedede. "All leads into possible replacements for the wings need to be reported to me! Metaknights, we will fly again!"
"Yes Metaknight sir!!" came a stream of replies.
"Go!" Shouted the blue puff, his cape spreading into huge bat wings. "We shall take this land for the glory of the Star Warriors!"
"You mean the Dedede kingdom... right?"
"...sure."
"Princess! We came as soon as we got your letter!" Twilight announced.
"Good, as I've told you in the letter, this situation is very grave. Possibly a greater threat than even Discord, considering his intentions... This is Dark Matter, he's the one who told us about the situation."
She gestured to the black creature in the armor. He merely stared at the bundle of rope that Fluttershy was cradling. "....that... it's... kirby!"
Celestia looked at the bundle and took a step back.
"Ah yes, Princess... we found one of those 'stars' in the Everfree Forest.. and found this creature nearby... and it said that it's name was Kirby..."
"Dark Matter, is that little thing the Star Warrior you were talking about?" Luna asked.
"..yes... quickly... kill him!"
Fluttershy held him closer. "But he hasn't done anything wrong yet!"
"Besides scaring everypony in town." Rainbow Dash said.
"And robbing the entirety of the Farmer's Market." Applejack offered.
"Poyo!" Kirby grunted from inside the bundle of rope.
Celestia looked hesitantly from Dark Matter to the six mares. And then to the ball of rope. "...I want to see him and question his intentions first. I will not strike first."
"...but... the Star Warriors... already... struck first..." Dark Matter insisted.
"No. Fluttershy, please release him. If he escapes I'll deal with him myself." Her horn began to glow yellow. "I'm ready."
Fluttershy nodded and began untying Kirby. When Kirby was free he shook himself off and smiled at the Princess.
"Star Warrior Kirby... what was your intention in coming to this realm?" Celestia asked in a regal tone.
"...Poyo!"
Celestia raised an eyebrow and turned to Fluttershy. "What does that mean?"
"it... uh, we think it means 'yes'..."
Celestia narrowed her eyes and turned back to Kirby. "Can you understand everything I'm saying?"
"Poyo!"
"...is that a yes or a no?" Luna asked.
"Poyo!"
Celestia sighed and turned to her sister. "We aren't getting anywhere with this... Kirby, explain why you're here!"
"Warp Star!" He said proudly.
"Dark Matter, do you understand what he's saying?"
"...the warp star.... is a hellish construct... their vehicles..."
"Ah... the shooting stars... is he telling us how he came here?" Celestia bent down and lit her horn in a different shade. "This is a communication spell, understand? It will not harm you." She put her horn on Kirby's head and covered him in a soft glow. "Now then... why did you come here?"
Kirby smiled at her. "Star!"
"I don't understand.. the spell should allow him to speak our language perfectly."
"...Kirby... is... too young... his mind... is... too young...he is two hundred years too young..."
Celestia and Luna looked at Dark Matter with confusion. "What do you mean two hundred years too young?"
"Kirby is a baby." Fluttershy explained.
Celestia turned back to Dark Matter. "Is this the terrible warrior you told me about?! A baby, a little ball creature that doesn't come to my shins, and doesn't understand what's going on... that's the threat you warned me about?"
"...this... baby... has sunken battleships single handedly... has fought creatures with the powers to conquer the universe to a standstill... and has powers you and even he himself... cannot comprehend... and... he is a Star Warrior of the highest calibre... few could ever... reach the heights and levels of destruction he... has!"
"Poyo!"
The twin Princesses looked down on the puffball hesitantly. "But he hasn't done anything worthy of war yet..."
"If he is attacked... he will show prowess for battle... worthy of the greatest champions... in history..."
"Well..." The Princess said. "then the simple solution would be to simply not attack him."
Dark Matter's single eye fumed with rage. "No! He will destroy you for no reason!! Anything you do that will come off as mildly threatening will put your entire world at peril!! He is a terrible threat!!" Dark Matter practically screamed.
"That may be so... but he hasn't done anything like that yet.. Equestria is a peaceful land. We won't declare war on our visitors without being harmed in any way."
Dark Matter was now so angry he couldn't even contain his shape. The ponies watched in shock as the armor evaporated, as he became a huge, single cloud of darkness, a huge brown eye forming. "Mark... my words... the invaders from Dreamland... will spell your doom..." He spun in a circle and flew off into the sky. "Curses... I... will have to rely on...them after all...."
☆☆☆
Braeburn brushed some sweat from his brow as he bucked another apple tree. He watched in curiosity as a gigantic apple rolled off from the top of the tree. "Whoa! Where did this come from?" He pushed the apple down the road to where several other workers were resting. "Hey everypony, look at this one!"
"Whoa!"
"That's a big one."
"We could make a big apple pie with just this one."
Braeburn smiled. "I think we should plant it."
"Plant it?"
"Yeah! Just think, what if this thing grows more giant apples?!"
The ponies agreed and they loaded the massive apple in a wagon, taking it to a good planting spot. As they came along they noticed a stampede passing through. "A little early today, are we chief?" Braeburn shouted.
"Apologies, Braeburn.. but we have something important for you to pass along to the Princess."
"Oh?"
"...in the desert, a massive object appeared overnight. It's filled with strange creatures, and they've been building non-stop since. They've already constructed a castle in the middle of the desert... and that massive metal object... well... I can tell it's damaged, but it looks menacing, it has huge spikes on it, and cannons... I would like you to warn the Princess... it might be a threat, my herd is steering clear of it for now, and we advise you to do the same."
"Well... I suppose we better get a message to the Princess... can you two plant the apple without me?"
"course' we can Braeburn. You go send a letter to yer' cousin."
Braeburn galloped back to Appleoosa and the buffalo went on their way. Leaving the two ponies to dig a hole and cut open the apple. They did the practiced motions of putting the seeds into the ground along with fertilizer and covered the hole with more dirt and fertilizer. Before one of them could even pick up a watering can though, the sprout had already forced itself from the ground.
"What the hay?"
They jumped back as the sprout glowed, becoming larger and larger. The sprout became a massive, colossal, full grown oak, but as the glow disappeared the two earth ponies noticed the gigantic apples growing on it.
"This... this is amazing! These things could be the solution to world hunger!" One of them said ecstatically. "They grow instantly and have tons of hue apples!"
"What should we call it? The Appleoosa tree?"
Then three holes on the tree opened around one of the lower, pointier, branches, creating something eerily similar to a face. It then yawned. "Hm..." It said. "Where am I?" It turned slightly to face the two shocked earth ponies. "What are you?"
"W-we're ponies..." said one of them hesitantly. "We're apple farmers..."
"And you've come here to take my apples?!" The tree shouted.
"Uh... yes?"
The tree's expression became angry and it sucked in a breath. The two ponies looked at each other before turning to run, but the blast of air hit them dead on, shooting them dozens of feet away. "You aren't allowed in my forest ever again!! I am the King of this forest! Whispy Woods!!!!" It shouted, and suddenly apples and strange spiky balls with eyes were fired from the canopy above Whispy. Large centipede-like creatures followed after. The two ponies got back onto their hooves and galloped for safety, the avalanche of strange things following after them. The ponies watched in horror as the spiky things exploded into nothing, while the apples planted themselves in the ground, sprouting more Whispies. The bugs either consumed the normal apple trees in instants or exploded as well.
As they got out of the orchard and back into town they watched as the fairly orderly and sparse orchard was quickly becoming a huge canopy of green, possibly rivalling the Everfree.
"Braeburn is not going to like this..."
☆☆☆
Dedede sat in his throne and looked over the desert. It was a boring landscape to be sure, but as long as he had his Waddle Dees and his castle, he was content.
Until he got hungry.
He got up from his seat and walked over to the massive elevator that connected the castle to the Halberd. He jumped up slightly and the elevator took him straight up. He came into the bridge and took a look around, he marched up to the sleeping blue puffball. A sly look crossed over his face and he checked around him again. Confident that there was no one to tattle on him the king inched forward, silently snickering, and began lifting the metal plate off Metaknight's face. The blue puffball woke up immediately and kicked him in the face. Dedede growled and grabbed Metaknight's foot, tossing the puffball across the room.
Bandana Dee and Sailor Dee were sitting on the deck playing cards when the bridge's main window exploded, the two minions looked up in terror as Dedede's rotund figure blocked the sun. Bandana Dee screamed as Dedede crashed through their table and through the deck. Sailor Dee sighed and threw his cards to the side. "And I was winning too."
"Oh whatever!" Bandana yelled. "What are we going to do?! King Dedede? Are you alright sir?"
The bird-like creature lifted himself from the hole, growling and fuming. "Metaknight!!! Get down here you... you... something... just get down here so I can clobber you!!"
Metaknight shot down incredibly fast, whipping out Galaxia and slashing Dedede as he came down. The King fell over, explosions wracking his bodies, stars firing off of him, before he simply fell over, dead.
Metaknight frowned down at the King and kicked him in the head again. "Walk it off you jerk." He hissed, pushing Dedede onto his stomach with some effort.
Dedede got up and shook himself off. "Thanks... ugh." Dedede winced as he cracked his back. "Did you really have to kill me?"
"You were being unreasonable." Metaknight justified.
"I tried to see your face!"
"I am a noble Star warrior, this mask represents my duty, my life of combat, my life far away from the lazy lifestyle of the other beings of pop-star!"
"...so, what, are you ugly or something?"
"I always thought he was hideously deformed." Bandana Dee added in. Sailor Dee pushed him.
"Take that back! Sir Metaknight obviously is ashamed of how adorable his true face is, since he wants to come off as a stoic and gruff soldier!"
Dedede raised an eyebrow and saw a blush in the darkness under the mask. "Oh? Hehehe... now I'm just more curious."
"Then I'll make you more dead!" Metaknight growled, spinning his cape around him and teleporting away.
"Hmph." Dedede sighed, turning to the two Waddle Dees. "So, what are you two doing here?"
"We were playing cards until you destroyed our table and lost half our deck." Sailor Dee said grumpily.
"Oh..."
The awkward moment was interrupted by another Waddle Dee, this one carrying a scroll. "Sir! Sir!!"
"What is it?"
"I have here for you a report from all over the place sir! Apparently a Whispy Woods has appeared in the desert thataway and it's growing... but it might take over the nearby town!"
"Huh? You found a town! That's great, I'll have to meet my new subjects immediately!"
"You might want to stop Whispy first..."
"Yeah, sure, sure... send a few Burnin' Leos and a few Sir Kibbles, I'm going to head straight to town! My subjects need to have the honor of meeting their new benevolent King! Wahahaha!!"
"Of course sir!" The Waddle Dee shouted happily.
King Dedede smiled and whistled for a Wheelie to come and pick him up. One complied immediately, arriving on the elevator the next second. King Dedede jumped in the air and landed with an 'oomph' on top of the poor wheelie, who groaned from the weight. "Waddle Dee? Where's this town?"
"It's right in that direction sir!" It said, gesturing to the southeast.
"Alrighty then!" Dedede said, pulling some goggles down from Hammerspace. "Let's go!!"
☆☆☆
Braeburn didn't even have time to pick up a pencil before he noticed the orchard suddenly springing to life. At first he was overjoyed at the sight, but the rumbling of the ground and the aura of anger that radiated from the new trees ended that feeling.
As soon as he realized that the forest was planting new trees on it's way down he had the entire town setting up barricades against apples, had them grab axes, and, though it pained him, had several ponies get ready to start fires. The first apple to reach a barricade sprouted immediately, creating another massive tree that had it's canopy reach over the barricade. His eyes widened and his pupils shrunk as a hoard of apples, centipedes, and spikes rained down from the tree. The ponies began panicking, and after the fourth tree in Appleoosa sprouted the efforts into building barricades were transferred into a town-wide evacuation.
Braeburn despaired. What cruel irony. A few Earth Ponies making a life for themselves in the harsh desert, surrounded by , at least at the time, aggressive buffalo. They spent so much work and effort into making an orchard there, risking their lives and careers by staying to build the town up from nothing... and that same orchard turned against them and drove them out of their home... but as the entirety of the town got onto the railroads and began chugging away from their beloved town a little filly shouted "Wait!"
The townsponies turned toward the orchard that had consumed half the town and watched in awe as the trees all turned red and began vibrating, stars firing off of them. Then it calmed down... and no more apples dropped. No more spiked balls with eyes, no more strange bugs. They had the ponies wait far away from the town, and then a group of the toughest ponies would go back and check if it was safe.
The trees were fine now. The faces were all depressed, and wouldn't react or say anything to the ponies pokes, questions, threats, or bucks. But the real surprise happened a few minutes later. Along the train track came a low whirring noise, and then a pair of the strangest creatures the town had ever seen came riding down the track. It was a large blue creature, wearing red robes and a bellywarmer, as well as a strange hat, riding a black rubber wheel with large eyes instead of caps. There was also a gigantic hammer tied to his back.
"Uhhh...." Braeburn began.
"Hello my wonderful and devoted brand spanking new subjects!!" The blue thing cried. "I'm King Dedede the benevolent, I just saved your town!" He stopped in front of the group and climbed off the wheel. "Well?"
"Uh... thank you?"
"You're absolutely welcome!! So, what are you all called?" He said with a wide, toothy, grin.
"Uh... we here are the ponies of Appleoosa... so.. you're the one who stopped the trees from spreading?"
"Yes! Well... kind of, it was done at my orders!"
The ponies in the group advanced angrily. "You mean you were controlling them?!"
"Uh..." Dedede looked nervously at the ponies. "Well, no! Of course not, Ah mean that my subordinates stopped the trees, all you have to do is kill the main one and they all die!"
Braeburn put a hoof on the tree. "Whaddya mean, die? This one's still kicking, in fact, all of them are!"
"Well of course they're alive now ! They've had plenty of time to recover a bit."
Braeburn blinked.
"What?"
