A True Hero

26 - Revolution

I opened my cape and found myself floating in space above Popstar. At first it was just darkness, but then a flash of light caught my attention. Nicolette had succeeded in teleporting the Captain to Gamble Galaxy and used up all of her energy in the process, but the team putting the fountains of Popstar together to summon Nova wasn't ready. The battle for power had begun.

We were just close enough to Planet Popstar to feel the effects of its gravitational pull. Pieces of debris and space rock fell down to where Jecra and Amai were desperately trying to collect the Star Power, seven rainbow colored stars, from the fountains. Once they had collected it, the stars would circle and combine to summon the clockwork comet Nova. Overhead, Blizzard, Garlude, and Cosmos were trying to fight the Captain as he used his powerful wings to soar over them. Nicolette hung limply in his arms.

I swung my sword across my body, threw my Warp Star out in front of me, and jumped on to join the group. Upon reaching them, I raised my sword and cast a powerful blue sword beam at the Captain. Before it could hit him, he raised his shield and blocked the blow.

"Meta Knight?!" Garlude gasped when she saw me. "What in the stars are you doing here? Where's Arthur?"

"Things didn't go according to plan," I said as I sidestepped a pink sword beam from the Captain and returned fire. "Arthur's not here?"

"No! What do we do now?" She gripped her golden sword with both hands and parried another sword beam. A bright flash of light blinded us both as the energy met her steel.

"Defend Jecra and Amai so they can finish assembling the fountains," Blizz ordered from behind us. Leaping into the air, he raised a bow, strung three arrows at once, and fired at the Captain. I didn't think the Captain cared about what Jec and Amai were doing. He seemed to be reveling in the fight between the four of us.

I sent a small sword beam after the arrows and somersaulted out of the way of a fireball. Instead of landing in the Captain's mask or arms, our projectiles stuck in the metal of his shield. In retaliation, he raised his lance and several large, purple orbs of energy appeared above us. They looked exactly like the ones that Magolor could summon. Thinking quickly, I held my sword in front of me and blocked them when they flew towards me. Garlude and Blizzard did the same.

Movement in the Captain's arms caught me by surprise. Nicolette's eyes slowly blinked open as if she was waking from a very deep sleep. She raised her head and saw us below her, fighting the Captain for all we were worth but not accomplishing much. Then she dropped her head just enough to make it look like she was sleeping and very, very slowly reached for the Bushido Katanas on her back.

Meanwhile, the Captain was making a mockery of our fight. Laughing, his eyes glowed red and he raised his lance, opening up a rift above us that would release a vaporizing pink light. Distracted, my eyes were still glued to Nicolette. As his lance began its swift descent to trigger the beam, Nic snatched her katanas and socked the Captain between the eyes with the butt of her sword handle. Shrieking, he jerked his lance up and the beam was directed towards my chest.

"Meta Knight!" a shrill voice yelled, and I went numb as the laser zapped from the rift. Then, before I was reduced to a pile of dust, Garlude jumped onto my Warp Star and pushed us both out of the way. I tumbled over the edge, but she grabbed my hand and held it tightly. I heard a cry of pain from behind us, and I looked and saw Blizz and Cosmos sitting on Garlude's star almost directly in the path of the beam. Blood seeped from the wound in Blizz's right shoulder where the laser had brushed him. Cosmos was by him in a matter of seconds and pulling a roll of bandages from the backpack he wore. Making sure the white warrior was immobile, he started dressing the wound. Garlude, her back still to her injured companion and sergeant, grunted in effort and heaved me back onto the star. Below us, the rainbow stars began to circle.