Shattering the Stars

Wave Energy

Another chapter so soon? Well, yes, but this one is shorter. It's actually the shortest chapter yet for the story. However, I hope you all like it just the same. Besides, I made more art for it! Enjoy!
-Jooostan

Shattering the Stars
Chapter 19: Wave Energy

Link, Mario, and Luigi all stared at Empyrea with wild confusion. The four, of course, had no clue who she was.

"You may want to wake up the others," Empyrea said, beckoning the four over to a pile of dark blue vines that made up the ground. The plants ruffled and parted, revealing a sleeping Amy and Crystal, lying on the ground. The Godbird opened her beak and exhaled, a cloud of glittering dust flying over to the sleeping pair and causing them to awaken.

"Mmm... Huh? Wha?" Crystal sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning groggily. "Is it morning already?"

Crystal glanced at the others and her eyes suddenly widened. For a moment, fear reached across her face and made it contort, her thoughts running to the worst possible scenario. She quickly looked around and saw Amy rested beside her, and she put her arms out and began shaking the yellow Inkling wildly.

"AMY! Wake up! We fused in our sleep again!" Crystal cried.

Amy shot up in an instant, her eyes just as wide as Crystal's.

"WHAT?! H-How?!" Amy was as alert and distraught as her girlfriend, frantically looking around to examine the dream they were in. After a couple of once-overs, her distress faded away. "H-Hang on, Crystal, look!" She pointed to Link, Mario, Luigi, and Kirby, "How can they be here if we fused again? It was just us last time, remember?"

"But you know that our friends can appear here too! Freddy and Violet did!" Crystal thought, balling her fists up and closing her eyes, hoping to open them again and have everything be normal.

"Wha-?" Amy was dumbfounded. A small smirk grew along her lips, and then she snickered. "Crystal, that wasn't actually them. They said that they were just the cephalopods taking their shape, silly!" Amy walked over to Link and inspected him. "Tell me something, anything, you hear me?"

"Uh... What?" Link asked.

"There, see! Those little cephalopods spoke all robotically, and they knew a LOT more than we did!" Amy concluded her argument, satisfied with the results. She went back to Crystal and smiled broadly, leaving Link confused, as were the others. "Though, I will say," Amy looked back at the being that woke her and Crystal up, "She's definitely new, and NOT one of our friends."

"That is certainly one way of describing me, but I can assure you, we are not strangers," Empyrea began, extending her wing to lead her riders, a squad of men unknown to the group, get off. It was Erdrick, Eight, Solo, and Eleven. "I do commend you for realizing so quickly that this was not a normal dream, you two. Your aptness is unmatched."

"Okay, okay, I think it's time I ask the big question on all of our minds," Mario casually walked in front of his brother, Link, and Kirby, holding his arms out. He was quiet for a second before swerving around and pointing to Empyrea with the most ghastly, overwhelmed expression ever seen. "Who are you?!" Then he pointed to the four men at Empyrea's side, "Who are they?!" Finally he gestured to the entire expanse of mystery, yelling, "What the hell is going on?!"

"Hey, bro, calm down," Luigi put his hand on Mario's shoulder and brought him aside. His voice was surprisingly calm for how nervous he normally was, but to be clear, he was also flabbergasted. "I'm positive that she'll explain... I hope."

"Alright... Alright," Mario huffed, scratching his forehead. He was developing a killer headache already.

"See, I knew this'd be a bit much for them at once," A voice familiar to Kirby then came about. The Star Warrior looked up and saw Landia flying above them.