OFF: This is a rewrite of my old fanfic, Beginning of the End, which was posted on fanfiction.net ages ago. For those who did not read the original fic, it is a what-if story that mix the two alternate canon universes of the Kirby serie (the games' and anime's ones) together.
This story take place a long time after all of the games and about one year after the anime (the anime timeline take place generations after the games' one. How come? It's explained in the fic).
Enjoy.
----------------------------------------------------------
Beginning of the End
Prologue: Behind the Nightmare
----------------------------------------------------------
A year has passed since the shadow of the organization known as NME finally vanished.
Thanks to the efforts of the young Star Warrior Kirby, the demented Nightmare was defeated and his fortress blown sky-high. For the first time in countless years, the galaxy enjoyed peace.
Yet, at the edge of the solar system where the planet Pop Star was located, all was not so well.
A hidden planet stood ominously, its atmosphere clouded by a thick veil of black, gooey clouds that blended in with the darkness around it. It was the first planet of the solar system. It was Dark Star, the closest one to the small star at the center of said solar system.
Deep beneath the thunderous, unnatural-looking clouds, a strange world lies. The horizon was red, the very air rippling like crimson flames, not a single ray of light reaching this strange place. Gigantic lamps everywhere bathed the crystal continents which lied over the planet's liquid surface with constant streams of weak, dull artificial light.
Like ants, the denizens of the planet constantly worked. Above the continents of crystal, below the massive fleet of strange black semi-liquid warships but still way above the surface, a strange structure floated.
Extending toward the sky, the structure was a massive castle shaped like an umbrella, its pointy lower section directed toward the core like a threatening spear. Endlessly floating thanks to a mix of the planet's strange gravity and the castle's own devices, the castle cast an ominous shadow over the lands...
Within the castle's halls, everything was silent. Nothing disturbed the eerie silence of those halls of black crystal, not even a single noise. It was as if the castle had been abandoned long ago... yet, one could feel a foul, overwhelming presence within. There was more than just this being within the castle walls but the sheer power of the dark presence was so overwhelming that even the most sensitive mind would have never noticed them. Yet... they were there too.
Then, the silence was broken.
The two massive doors opened as a shadow finally entered the throne room.
The figure that sat on the throne seemed to be startled, brought out suddenly out of its trance. It was a small creature, a fairy more exactly. Although it was still larger than any known fairy, it was still too small for both its big queen clothes and its giant, black throne giving her a rather laughable appearance. Yet, laughter would be the last thing that would come up to anyone looking at this being. A large crown sitting on her little head, long, messy hair hid most of her features although one could still see her creepy smirk and her eyes. Her eyes were the most noticeable feature. In fact, it was the only thing one would see if looking at her. The right eye was a beautiful shade of azure yet its beauty was marred by the fact that it looked strangely lifeless and yet, not. The left eye however... it was a deep crimson taint, the gaze of the eye unnatural in intensity, burning with such venomous, corrosive anger that one couldn't help but feel absolute, raw terror upon seeing the fairy stare back.
Floating near the throne, as well, was a rather perplexing being. Although aided by no wings nor any limbs of any sorts, the large black sphere floated effortlessly in the air, maintaining its position constantly. Large, black, and rather bland, only a crown of brown spikes on the back of its spherical, semi-liquid body and a lone, gigantic yellow eyeball kept it from looking like nothing more than a floating orb of black goo. It, too, was startled and turned to look to the figure that had entered the room.
Covered with its own black and grey cape, the third figure turned to face the figure as well. It had been expecting the newcomer and thus, was not startled. Under the cape and under the black armor under said cape, there was another spherical creature although this one actually had short, chubby arms and feet. Dark, dull blue, so dull it almost matched the color of its cape, the creature's seriousness was mismatched with its face. Large eyes, a cute little mouth, streaks of a different color on its cheeks causing it to seem to have a permanent blush, the creature would have been adorable if it wasn't from its expression which matched that of the fairy and the spiky black ball.
All three creatures now looked at the newcomer, who would have been instantly recognizable to anyone who ever had the displeasure of running into the NME.
It was none other than the demented Nightmare himself, in all of his horrific glory. He stood, high, high above the others, his static interior hidden under a dark blue cape, non-existent shoulders protected by gigantic shoulder guards. Its own horned, vampire-like head was intimidating and grotesque all at once, with its empty, pupil-less white eyes betraying the fact that it was a mask destined to hide its non-existent face.
"So you have finally come... Considering it took you one full year, I hope for you that you have come up with a sufficiently good excuse for your unacceptable failure." Although the fairy was small and her voice was indeed feminine, it was still unnaturally deep and loud, echoing through the room and giving everyone within the room a chill that quickly ran down their spines. The tone of the fairy was as cold as the arctic boundaries of planet Shiver Star.
Yet, the massive caped villain did not lose his grin. He stood there, confident, as he always was.
"You shouldn't worry, my queen. That was only a minor setback. Now that my body has reformed, I will reassemble the NME ranks and indeed seize the last of the Legendary Weapons for the glory of the Dark Matter specie!" claimed high and loud the caped villain. His voice was just as scary as that of the fairy. He sounded so totally demented and evil... yet, his words and confidence in his abilities did not impress anyone within the room.
"Blah blah blah. Always the same excuse..." That was the black, one-eyed sphere. It was now staring at Nightmare with an expression that shown that if it actually had a mouth, it would sigh loudly in annoyance. How it was able to speak using such a deep, ominous voice was anyone guess's considering its lack of a mouth. "I'm sorry my queen but... why do we keep this clown around, anyway? What I mean is that Nightmare clearly demonstrated that he is hopelessly incompetent. He wields our technology, controls some of the most terrible demons in the universe, and command powerful vessels... and yet, he gets himself whipped, repeatedly at that, by those 'Star Warriors' beings. What a wuss!"
"Still your tongue, General Dark Reaper. That he would fail to wipe out the Star Warriors a few times and require some extra troops once in a while and maybe a revival is understandable actually. The Star Warriors used to be a threat. A minor one... but a threat, nevertheless. But still, Dark Reaper's complaint is not exactly invalid either. Nightmare... you DID report that the Star Warriors were entirely wiped out except for one and that the Demon Hunters are scattered at best, their ranks completely devastated. So... tell me... how did a lone Star Warrior and a ragtag group of Demon Hunters manage to defeat you?" said the fairy, interrupting the black sphere. Dark Reaper lost his expression and listened as the fairy spoke.
Nightmare still had his grin, his face unmoving... but deep down, he knew he was in trouble. He knew his story was a bit unbelievable and he knew how the queen was when she was angered. Still, what other choice did he have?
"Actually... that last Star Warrior had Galaxia, the last Legendary Weapon, and furthermore, he wasn't alone. He received help. It's... a long story and..." The massive villain stopped speaking when he noticed that the queen had stopped listening.
The grey being in armor had approached her and was now whispering in her ear. The fairy nodded a few times before turning to Nightmare, her gaze piercing him. Although she was smiling, the smile felt fake, as if it hid an angry frown, a VERY angry one.
"Nightmare... I just received the report. So, you're telling me that one year ago, an entire base full of powerful monsters was defeated. So tell me... how many Star Warriors assaulted the base? How many of them did it take to destroy your last body?"
And at this moment, all of his confidence vanished and his smile suddenly became a big, deep frown.
Now he is in trouble. How is he going to explain to the queen that he was defeated by only two Star Warriors and a pack of demon hunters? Most of all, how can he somehow not make himself look bad when he will reveal that he was beaten by a baby?
Although he could think easily of demented plans to take over planets, making up excuses was not an easy thing for Nightmare. He was used to victory, to enslaving worlds. Making excuses for humiliating defeats was definitely not his strongest point!
Of course, the queen and the other beings around her noticed how the tall villain remained strangely silent... and this only fueled the fairy's rage, driving her mad with a growingly fiery and brutal rage.
"Well... I..." Nightmare hesitated. Truly, there seemed to be no way to lessen the blow and anyway, if he wasted anymore time, the queen would probably do something bad to him... and although he was meant to be an immortal embodiment of evil, he knew all too well that provoking an entity even greater than he is was just asking for trouble regardless of if he could truly die or not.
"I am listening. Speak, at once!" was the queen's final warning.
Finally, the caped dark lord resigned himself. Lying to the queen would only delay the inevitable and beside, she would probably see through his lies. The only thing left to do... was to tell the truth. Thus, he calmed himself, got a hold of his conflicting emotions, put that creepy smirk back on his face, and gathered all of his courage as he gave the long over-due report about last year's defeat.
"Actually... the latest NME operation failed due to a small group of demon hunters who led a raid on our main base, destroying it. They were led by Metaknight, one of the two last Star Warriors. The other Star Warrior was the one that terminated my last body, thus causing the failure of our operations..."
As he revealed the details of his humiliating defeat, the black sphere's eye widened in disbelief. The queen's expression turned into a serene smile while the grey armored being stepped back and leaned against one of the columns, watching the scene carefully.
"Two Star Warriors? I thought that you had killed all of them except for Metaknight and as far as I know, the training of Star Warriors is long, taking centuries. So... tell me... how is it possible that there were two Star Warriors assaulting the base?" she asked.
"Actually... the second Star Warrior had not matured yet. It was still an infant..."
The fairy's smile disappeared instantly. Slowly, a sad frown came to her delicate face and slowly, a small tear came out of her right eye and begun to slowly slide down her cheek... a crimson tear.
At this moment, for the first time in millennia, Nightmare felt pure, sheer, raw, undiluted terror, his face distorting into an expression not unlike the one he had when Kirby shoved all those Star Rod-powered dream stars into his vulnerable core a year ago. The queen only cried blood in one situation... and it was when she was enraged beyond mortal comprehension. He knew he had exactly half a second to try and save himself from suffering a fate so dire it would make him long for mortality so his torment would just end.
"B-b-but it wasn't any infant! I-i-it had the Star Rod, one of the few weapons that can injure me!" The caped villain cursed himself for falling prey to his own element as the fear corrupted his tone, making him sound like a scaredy cat. But then, there was no use in denying it. He was, indeed, experiencing pure, true terror. But well, who was going to blame him? Just the sight of the great queen was enough to make basically any mortal mad with fear.
To Nightmare's relief, the last reply, although not worded to his liking, had succeeded in its intended effect. The fairy's hatred still burnt so hot that her tears of blood were making holes on the floor, consuming it... but at least, it was no longer directed at him... well, not completely.
It was also at this moment that Dark Reaper decided himself to speak openly. The black sphere floated forward, staring intently at the taller evil overlord.
"Please excuse me but... isn't the Star Rod a powerful artifact that regulate the flow of dreams and nightmares within each planet's Fountain of Dreams? Only a being with great power could summon its powers and use it somewhere such as on your base... which means that this was not a common Star Warrior infant. Not even the Star Warriors of Metaknight's bloodline have such power. Tell me... what kind of Star Warrior was it?"
...and it was then that Nightmare finally realized that although his defeat was humiliating, it was absolutely nothing compared to the absolutely monumental mistake he had done. He estimated his chances of survival and eyed the windows, wondering if his insanely great powers could be used in a way or another to teleport out of there before the queen turned him into sushi or something.
Seeing that the masked dark lord was once again hesitating, Dark Metaknight, usually quiet and whose seemingly only mean of communication was to whisper to the queen, decided himself to step forward and speak openly.
"I will answer that question for Nightmare. My own troops have been spying upon the inhabitants of Pop Star for the last few years... and we have observed this so-called Star Warrior. It seems that it is a being not unlike Metaknight... except pink. We then begun to notice some... troubling facts about this new being. However, since we thought that Nightmare was reporting to the queen weekly, as he is supposed to..." At this moment, everyone, included the queen, glared at the villain. Although his face remained the same, embarrassment filled his mind. "...I did not report about this being. But since Nightmare has obviously thought that it was best not to do so, I guess that I will tell everyone what I know of it. Thus... I present you... Kirby."
Slowly, the grey being approached the queen and took out a small disc of sorts. The being inserted it into a slot on the throne and then, slowly, a gigantic screen was lowered and a record was shown...
It was a record of the young Star Warrior, Kirby, fighting a random foe and inhaling an attack and then absorbing it, gaining the fire copy ability.
For the first time since countless millennia, the dark queen's eyes widened... and at this moment, all of Nightmare's fear and embarrassment disappeared as confusion filled his mind. This was impossible! Could it truly be? He could feel a feeling invading the queen's mind... could it be...
...fear?
No! The queen is the most powerful entity in all of the universe! She defines the very word god-like! Even when they were at full power, the Star Warriors were only but mere insects before the limitless power that the great ruler wield!
...and now, she trembles before the sight of a pink, maskless being not unlike Metaknight.
Yes, this being had the name, the appearance, and apparently the same powers as the mythical Kirby that lived countless millennia ago, the only being who could ever oppose and even defeat the glorious, almighty queen. Even this far in the future, the mere mention of the name "Kirby" spread terror among the inhabitants of Dark Star and their allies.
The queen sprung up, her entire body shaking...
"H-h-how... HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!?" she boomed, her voice so loud that the entire castle shook. Everyone in the last few miles surrounding the castle probably heard that one.
...and then, Nightmare regained his evil smirk. In fact, he even begun to laugh as the irony of it all hit him. If only they knew!
"How dare you laugh?! Explain yourself right now!" demanded the queen, pointing angrily at the caped overlord.
Nightmare interrupted his creepy laugh and his smile widened, his expression eerie and creepy.
"Simple. For this is nothing to be worried about. My majesty... you KNOW that Kirby's bloodline is long lost. You have yourself made sure that his bloodline would be terminated when you killed his last descendant with your own hands. The being on this record is nothing but a... mistake."
Seeing no reply, Nightmare decided to continue his explanation.
"You see... the last Star Warrior hid on Pop Star after my troops wiped out the last of the Star Warriors' positions. As this last survivor was a descendant of the legendary Metaknight who helped the cursed Kirby and was wielding Galaxia, one of the Legendary Weapons, I figured out that taking him out using a large-scale assault would be a bit... time-consuming. So... I decided to put to good use something I had been keeping for ages in cold storage."
At this moment, Dark Reaper floated forward, doing the Dark Matter equivalent of shaking your head in disbelief.
"Please don't tell me that you..." he trailed off, not finishing his sentence. There was no need to.
"Oh. Do not worry. The cloning process failed. This is only a miserable, half-baked copy with sub-par abilities and a slowed-down growth process. Since it was so weak, I dumped it on Pop Star. Believe me, I was only a bit careless..." Both Dark Reaper and Dark Metaknight pondered on if they should kill Nightmare for this.
...but at this moment, the queen smiled. If that was the truth... then she just had the most devilish plan. In fact, thinking of it all, her hatred all but vanished.
This meant that a sample of Kirby's DNA had somehow been conserved through the ages. Sure, she could blame Nightmare for hiding this from her... but she thought better of it. Nightmare was maybe not the most competent of her minions but he was reliable when it came to accomplishing simple orders... such as designing and carrying out the creation of monsters. She knew exactly what she wanted out of him.
She allowed only her feelings to spike up for no reason. Truly, if this sample still exists, then Metaknight and his newest ally will truly be no problem...
"Tell me Nightmare... Did you keep the sample intact?"
"Yes, of course, my queen. Why are you asking? What do you ask of me?" replied the caped villain.
The queen remained silent for a short moment... but then, soon enough, a small sound escaped from her throat... then another... and then, she burst into maniacal laughter.
The fools of Pop Star... always causing trouble.
Well, not for long. They thought Nightmare and his lousy NME was a handful of problems? They have seen nothing yet! Soon... they shall learn the true meaning of terror!
=TO BE CONTINUED
This story take place a long time after all of the games and about one year after the anime (the anime timeline take place generations after the games' one. How come? It's explained in the fic).
Enjoy.
----------------------------------------------------------
Beginning of the End
Prologue: Behind the Nightmare
----------------------------------------------------------
A year has passed since the shadow of the organization known as NME finally vanished.
Thanks to the efforts of the young Star Warrior Kirby, the demented Nightmare was defeated and his fortress blown sky-high. For the first time in countless years, the galaxy enjoyed peace.
Yet, at the edge of the solar system where the planet Pop Star was located, all was not so well.
A hidden planet stood ominously, its atmosphere clouded by a thick veil of black, gooey clouds that blended in with the darkness around it. It was the first planet of the solar system. It was Dark Star, the closest one to the small star at the center of said solar system.
Deep beneath the thunderous, unnatural-looking clouds, a strange world lies. The horizon was red, the very air rippling like crimson flames, not a single ray of light reaching this strange place. Gigantic lamps everywhere bathed the crystal continents which lied over the planet's liquid surface with constant streams of weak, dull artificial light.
Like ants, the denizens of the planet constantly worked. Above the continents of crystal, below the massive fleet of strange black semi-liquid warships but still way above the surface, a strange structure floated.
Extending toward the sky, the structure was a massive castle shaped like an umbrella, its pointy lower section directed toward the core like a threatening spear. Endlessly floating thanks to a mix of the planet's strange gravity and the castle's own devices, the castle cast an ominous shadow over the lands...
Within the castle's halls, everything was silent. Nothing disturbed the eerie silence of those halls of black crystal, not even a single noise. It was as if the castle had been abandoned long ago... yet, one could feel a foul, overwhelming presence within. There was more than just this being within the castle walls but the sheer power of the dark presence was so overwhelming that even the most sensitive mind would have never noticed them. Yet... they were there too.
Then, the silence was broken.
The two massive doors opened as a shadow finally entered the throne room.
The figure that sat on the throne seemed to be startled, brought out suddenly out of its trance. It was a small creature, a fairy more exactly. Although it was still larger than any known fairy, it was still too small for both its big queen clothes and its giant, black throne giving her a rather laughable appearance. Yet, laughter would be the last thing that would come up to anyone looking at this being. A large crown sitting on her little head, long, messy hair hid most of her features although one could still see her creepy smirk and her eyes. Her eyes were the most noticeable feature. In fact, it was the only thing one would see if looking at her. The right eye was a beautiful shade of azure yet its beauty was marred by the fact that it looked strangely lifeless and yet, not. The left eye however... it was a deep crimson taint, the gaze of the eye unnatural in intensity, burning with such venomous, corrosive anger that one couldn't help but feel absolute, raw terror upon seeing the fairy stare back.
Floating near the throne, as well, was a rather perplexing being. Although aided by no wings nor any limbs of any sorts, the large black sphere floated effortlessly in the air, maintaining its position constantly. Large, black, and rather bland, only a crown of brown spikes on the back of its spherical, semi-liquid body and a lone, gigantic yellow eyeball kept it from looking like nothing more than a floating orb of black goo. It, too, was startled and turned to look to the figure that had entered the room.
Covered with its own black and grey cape, the third figure turned to face the figure as well. It had been expecting the newcomer and thus, was not startled. Under the cape and under the black armor under said cape, there was another spherical creature although this one actually had short, chubby arms and feet. Dark, dull blue, so dull it almost matched the color of its cape, the creature's seriousness was mismatched with its face. Large eyes, a cute little mouth, streaks of a different color on its cheeks causing it to seem to have a permanent blush, the creature would have been adorable if it wasn't from its expression which matched that of the fairy and the spiky black ball.
All three creatures now looked at the newcomer, who would have been instantly recognizable to anyone who ever had the displeasure of running into the NME.
It was none other than the demented Nightmare himself, in all of his horrific glory. He stood, high, high above the others, his static interior hidden under a dark blue cape, non-existent shoulders protected by gigantic shoulder guards. Its own horned, vampire-like head was intimidating and grotesque all at once, with its empty, pupil-less white eyes betraying the fact that it was a mask destined to hide its non-existent face.
"So you have finally come... Considering it took you one full year, I hope for you that you have come up with a sufficiently good excuse for your unacceptable failure." Although the fairy was small and her voice was indeed feminine, it was still unnaturally deep and loud, echoing through the room and giving everyone within the room a chill that quickly ran down their spines. The tone of the fairy was as cold as the arctic boundaries of planet Shiver Star.
Yet, the massive caped villain did not lose his grin. He stood there, confident, as he always was.
"You shouldn't worry, my queen. That was only a minor setback. Now that my body has reformed, I will reassemble the NME ranks and indeed seize the last of the Legendary Weapons for the glory of the Dark Matter specie!" claimed high and loud the caped villain. His voice was just as scary as that of the fairy. He sounded so totally demented and evil... yet, his words and confidence in his abilities did not impress anyone within the room.
"Blah blah blah. Always the same excuse..." That was the black, one-eyed sphere. It was now staring at Nightmare with an expression that shown that if it actually had a mouth, it would sigh loudly in annoyance. How it was able to speak using such a deep, ominous voice was anyone guess's considering its lack of a mouth. "I'm sorry my queen but... why do we keep this clown around, anyway? What I mean is that Nightmare clearly demonstrated that he is hopelessly incompetent. He wields our technology, controls some of the most terrible demons in the universe, and command powerful vessels... and yet, he gets himself whipped, repeatedly at that, by those 'Star Warriors' beings. What a wuss!"
"Still your tongue, General Dark Reaper. That he would fail to wipe out the Star Warriors a few times and require some extra troops once in a while and maybe a revival is understandable actually. The Star Warriors used to be a threat. A minor one... but a threat, nevertheless. But still, Dark Reaper's complaint is not exactly invalid either. Nightmare... you DID report that the Star Warriors were entirely wiped out except for one and that the Demon Hunters are scattered at best, their ranks completely devastated. So... tell me... how did a lone Star Warrior and a ragtag group of Demon Hunters manage to defeat you?" said the fairy, interrupting the black sphere. Dark Reaper lost his expression and listened as the fairy spoke.
Nightmare still had his grin, his face unmoving... but deep down, he knew he was in trouble. He knew his story was a bit unbelievable and he knew how the queen was when she was angered. Still, what other choice did he have?
"Actually... that last Star Warrior had Galaxia, the last Legendary Weapon, and furthermore, he wasn't alone. He received help. It's... a long story and..." The massive villain stopped speaking when he noticed that the queen had stopped listening.
The grey being in armor had approached her and was now whispering in her ear. The fairy nodded a few times before turning to Nightmare, her gaze piercing him. Although she was smiling, the smile felt fake, as if it hid an angry frown, a VERY angry one.
"Nightmare... I just received the report. So, you're telling me that one year ago, an entire base full of powerful monsters was defeated. So tell me... how many Star Warriors assaulted the base? How many of them did it take to destroy your last body?"
And at this moment, all of his confidence vanished and his smile suddenly became a big, deep frown.
Now he is in trouble. How is he going to explain to the queen that he was defeated by only two Star Warriors and a pack of demon hunters? Most of all, how can he somehow not make himself look bad when he will reveal that he was beaten by a baby?
Although he could think easily of demented plans to take over planets, making up excuses was not an easy thing for Nightmare. He was used to victory, to enslaving worlds. Making excuses for humiliating defeats was definitely not his strongest point!
Of course, the queen and the other beings around her noticed how the tall villain remained strangely silent... and this only fueled the fairy's rage, driving her mad with a growingly fiery and brutal rage.
"Well... I..." Nightmare hesitated. Truly, there seemed to be no way to lessen the blow and anyway, if he wasted anymore time, the queen would probably do something bad to him... and although he was meant to be an immortal embodiment of evil, he knew all too well that provoking an entity even greater than he is was just asking for trouble regardless of if he could truly die or not.
"I am listening. Speak, at once!" was the queen's final warning.
Finally, the caped dark lord resigned himself. Lying to the queen would only delay the inevitable and beside, she would probably see through his lies. The only thing left to do... was to tell the truth. Thus, he calmed himself, got a hold of his conflicting emotions, put that creepy smirk back on his face, and gathered all of his courage as he gave the long over-due report about last year's defeat.
"Actually... the latest NME operation failed due to a small group of demon hunters who led a raid on our main base, destroying it. They were led by Metaknight, one of the two last Star Warriors. The other Star Warrior was the one that terminated my last body, thus causing the failure of our operations..."
As he revealed the details of his humiliating defeat, the black sphere's eye widened in disbelief. The queen's expression turned into a serene smile while the grey armored being stepped back and leaned against one of the columns, watching the scene carefully.
"Two Star Warriors? I thought that you had killed all of them except for Metaknight and as far as I know, the training of Star Warriors is long, taking centuries. So... tell me... how is it possible that there were two Star Warriors assaulting the base?" she asked.
"Actually... the second Star Warrior had not matured yet. It was still an infant..."
The fairy's smile disappeared instantly. Slowly, a sad frown came to her delicate face and slowly, a small tear came out of her right eye and begun to slowly slide down her cheek... a crimson tear.
At this moment, for the first time in millennia, Nightmare felt pure, sheer, raw, undiluted terror, his face distorting into an expression not unlike the one he had when Kirby shoved all those Star Rod-powered dream stars into his vulnerable core a year ago. The queen only cried blood in one situation... and it was when she was enraged beyond mortal comprehension. He knew he had exactly half a second to try and save himself from suffering a fate so dire it would make him long for mortality so his torment would just end.
"B-b-but it wasn't any infant! I-i-it had the Star Rod, one of the few weapons that can injure me!" The caped villain cursed himself for falling prey to his own element as the fear corrupted his tone, making him sound like a scaredy cat. But then, there was no use in denying it. He was, indeed, experiencing pure, true terror. But well, who was going to blame him? Just the sight of the great queen was enough to make basically any mortal mad with fear.
To Nightmare's relief, the last reply, although not worded to his liking, had succeeded in its intended effect. The fairy's hatred still burnt so hot that her tears of blood were making holes on the floor, consuming it... but at least, it was no longer directed at him... well, not completely.
It was also at this moment that Dark Reaper decided himself to speak openly. The black sphere floated forward, staring intently at the taller evil overlord.
"Please excuse me but... isn't the Star Rod a powerful artifact that regulate the flow of dreams and nightmares within each planet's Fountain of Dreams? Only a being with great power could summon its powers and use it somewhere such as on your base... which means that this was not a common Star Warrior infant. Not even the Star Warriors of Metaknight's bloodline have such power. Tell me... what kind of Star Warrior was it?"
...and it was then that Nightmare finally realized that although his defeat was humiliating, it was absolutely nothing compared to the absolutely monumental mistake he had done. He estimated his chances of survival and eyed the windows, wondering if his insanely great powers could be used in a way or another to teleport out of there before the queen turned him into sushi or something.
Seeing that the masked dark lord was once again hesitating, Dark Metaknight, usually quiet and whose seemingly only mean of communication was to whisper to the queen, decided himself to step forward and speak openly.
"I will answer that question for Nightmare. My own troops have been spying upon the inhabitants of Pop Star for the last few years... and we have observed this so-called Star Warrior. It seems that it is a being not unlike Metaknight... except pink. We then begun to notice some... troubling facts about this new being. However, since we thought that Nightmare was reporting to the queen weekly, as he is supposed to..." At this moment, everyone, included the queen, glared at the villain. Although his face remained the same, embarrassment filled his mind. "...I did not report about this being. But since Nightmare has obviously thought that it was best not to do so, I guess that I will tell everyone what I know of it. Thus... I present you... Kirby."
Slowly, the grey being approached the queen and took out a small disc of sorts. The being inserted it into a slot on the throne and then, slowly, a gigantic screen was lowered and a record was shown...
It was a record of the young Star Warrior, Kirby, fighting a random foe and inhaling an attack and then absorbing it, gaining the fire copy ability.
For the first time since countless millennia, the dark queen's eyes widened... and at this moment, all of Nightmare's fear and embarrassment disappeared as confusion filled his mind. This was impossible! Could it truly be? He could feel a feeling invading the queen's mind... could it be...
...fear?
No! The queen is the most powerful entity in all of the universe! She defines the very word god-like! Even when they were at full power, the Star Warriors were only but mere insects before the limitless power that the great ruler wield!
...and now, she trembles before the sight of a pink, maskless being not unlike Metaknight.
Yes, this being had the name, the appearance, and apparently the same powers as the mythical Kirby that lived countless millennia ago, the only being who could ever oppose and even defeat the glorious, almighty queen. Even this far in the future, the mere mention of the name "Kirby" spread terror among the inhabitants of Dark Star and their allies.
The queen sprung up, her entire body shaking...
"H-h-how... HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!?" she boomed, her voice so loud that the entire castle shook. Everyone in the last few miles surrounding the castle probably heard that one.
...and then, Nightmare regained his evil smirk. In fact, he even begun to laugh as the irony of it all hit him. If only they knew!
"How dare you laugh?! Explain yourself right now!" demanded the queen, pointing angrily at the caped overlord.
Nightmare interrupted his creepy laugh and his smile widened, his expression eerie and creepy.
"Simple. For this is nothing to be worried about. My majesty... you KNOW that Kirby's bloodline is long lost. You have yourself made sure that his bloodline would be terminated when you killed his last descendant with your own hands. The being on this record is nothing but a... mistake."
Seeing no reply, Nightmare decided to continue his explanation.
"You see... the last Star Warrior hid on Pop Star after my troops wiped out the last of the Star Warriors' positions. As this last survivor was a descendant of the legendary Metaknight who helped the cursed Kirby and was wielding Galaxia, one of the Legendary Weapons, I figured out that taking him out using a large-scale assault would be a bit... time-consuming. So... I decided to put to good use something I had been keeping for ages in cold storage."
At this moment, Dark Reaper floated forward, doing the Dark Matter equivalent of shaking your head in disbelief.
"Please don't tell me that you..." he trailed off, not finishing his sentence. There was no need to.
"Oh. Do not worry. The cloning process failed. This is only a miserable, half-baked copy with sub-par abilities and a slowed-down growth process. Since it was so weak, I dumped it on Pop Star. Believe me, I was only a bit careless..." Both Dark Reaper and Dark Metaknight pondered on if they should kill Nightmare for this.
...but at this moment, the queen smiled. If that was the truth... then she just had the most devilish plan. In fact, thinking of it all, her hatred all but vanished.
This meant that a sample of Kirby's DNA had somehow been conserved through the ages. Sure, she could blame Nightmare for hiding this from her... but she thought better of it. Nightmare was maybe not the most competent of her minions but he was reliable when it came to accomplishing simple orders... such as designing and carrying out the creation of monsters. She knew exactly what she wanted out of him.
She allowed only her feelings to spike up for no reason. Truly, if this sample still exists, then Metaknight and his newest ally will truly be no problem...
"Tell me Nightmare... Did you keep the sample intact?"
"Yes, of course, my queen. Why are you asking? What do you ask of me?" replied the caped villain.
The queen remained silent for a short moment... but then, soon enough, a small sound escaped from her throat... then another... and then, she burst into maniacal laughter.
The fools of Pop Star... always causing trouble.
Well, not for long. They thought Nightmare and his lousy NME was a handful of problems? They have seen nothing yet! Soon... they shall learn the true meaning of terror!
=TO BE CONTINUED