Chapter Text
One night, on the planet Popstar. The citizens of Cappy Town were unsettled after seeing a terrifying octopus-like monster. They confronted King Dedede about the encounter last night, but he denied seeing any monster last night. They soon went to Kabu Canyon, where the great sage, Kabu, informed them that the monster was Dedede’s doing; however, he also told them that a warrior of the stars would arrive to save them. Dedede soon arrived, and before he could break up the gathering, Kirby’s ship entered the atmosphere and crashed.
Once the citizens discover him from the wreckage and confirm his identity, Dedede knocks Kirby into a ravine, leading four young citizens, Tiff, Tuff, Fololo, and Falala, to help him. While trying to help him Tiff falls into the ravine before being saved by Kirby who catches her in the air, soon after fleeing from Dedede who looks for Kirby, and a dinner party helped by the rest of the citizens, which ends early because Kirby inhaled all the food, Tiff and Tuff soon follow Kirby into a field where the other citizens said they saw the monster last night. The group is soon approached by Sword Knight, Blade Knight, and Meta Knight. Before they can react, Meta Knight draws out Galaxia and aims it at Kirby. The tension is still before Meta Knight holsters his weapon, identifying Kirby as an ally before they help locate the monster that the citizens spoke of. Elsewhere at Castle Dedede, as the Waddle Dees examined Kirby’s ship, one of them discovered a small star before bringing it to Dedede’s throne room. Once he grabs the star from the Waddle Dee, he dismisses him from the throne room, but before he can examine the star, he’s confronted by Meta Knight, who tells him that he knows he had something to do with the rumors about the monster from last night. Although Dedede doesn’t deny his accusations, he reminds Meta Knight that he’s his servant, that he’ll say nothing about it, and that if he were to tell anyone, he would be arrested for treason, but before Meta Knight could protest, the two heard a strange noise.
Meta Knight drew his sword out before turning around to see a small octopus-like creature crawling out from the shadows. When Dedede turns around, he’s put under some sort of hypnosis that was cast by the octopus. Soon, when Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby, accompanied by Sword and Blade Knight, arrive at the castle, they see Meta Knight and Dedede in a battle. Meta Knight manages to block and avoid Dedede’s attack before the hypnotized king notices Kirby and tries to attack him. As the mind-controlled penguin-like creature swings his hammer Kirby gets hit a couple of times before he starts to dodge and avoid the hammer before noticing the small octopus in the background, as the hypnosis begins to wear off on Dedede, Meta Knight explains that the octopus is demon beast known as Octacon, the tiny creature soon grows and reveals its true form as it beings destroying the castle. Tiff tells Kirby to run as he is surrounded, but he doesn’t listen to her, as he approaches the giant monster with courage and determination to protect his new friends. With perfect timing, Kirby dodges two attacks from Octacon before becoming surrounded by miniature copies of itself. Kirby then inhales them before spitting them back at Octacon in the form of star projectiles.
The star that Dedede dropped when he was hypnotized soon began glowing brightly as it floated off the floor and grew before flying toward Kirby. Right as Octacon unleashed a breath of fire, Kirby was able to dodge it before hopping onto the star, zooming around the octopus-like monster. Many cappies soon saw the battle going on at Castle Dedede; some were scared of what was going on, while some were amazed. With every copy Octacon could make, Kirby would keep inhaling them and spit out star projectiles at him. Although they were enough to hurt it, it wasn’t enough, as Octacon unleashed another fire-breathing attack. Instead of flying away from it, Kirby inhaled the fire itself, obtaining the fire ability. In mere moments, Kirby unleashed a powerful fire breath that was more powerful than Octacon’s flames, defeating the demon-beast once and for all.
As the chaos dies down, Kirby hops off his warp star before reuniting with Tiff and Tuff as he returns to normal; however, Meta Knight approaches them and tells them that this might’ve been the first battle Kirby has won, but he still has much yet to learn. When Tiff asks what he means, Meta Knight walks away as Sword and Blade Knight follow him. Once the three are alone, Sword Knight asks why he chose to help Kirby. Meta Knight then tells him that Kirby would be a hero, one who would save the galaxy from a bigger threat. He then explains the true reason why he came to Popstar and why he chose to be Dedede’s servant. Both Sword and Blade Knight are skeptical of the exclamation, but they understand and decide to trust Meta Knight. Later the next day, Meta Knight is summoned by Dedede, who is furious about the events that happened last night. Meta Knight then explains to Dedede that because of his incompetence, he underestimated Kirby and the strength he possesses.
He also explained that his stupidity and pettiness are what blind him to what deals he’s truly making with Nightmare. The room was silent as a few Waddle Dees in the room watched as the tension became more present. Instead of being rational, Dedede then tells Meta Knight that, because of his actions, such as conspiring with Kirby, snooping around, and knowing information that was on a need-to-know basis, he would be banished not only from his castle but from Cappy Town as well. However, this doesn’t faze Meta Knight as he accepts his punishment and leaves the throne room as he makes his way out of the castle. As Meta Knight made his way out of the castle he soon discovered that Blade Knight and Sword Knight had followed him, they say that if Kirby will become the hero Meta Knight says he will become then they want to see it for themselves and help him in any way they can, even if it means betraying Dedede, this turn of events was sudden but Meta Knight allowed it as the three head off.
Soon, Kirby became a permanent resident of Popstar as he was welcomed by everyone in Cappy Town with open arms. However, there were occasions when Dedede would order a demon beast to terrorize Kirby, but with every foe Kirby faces, he becomes powerful with every battle. There were also times when Meta Knight would not only be a mentor to Kirby but a father figure to him. With every failed attempt to get rid of Kirby, Dedede became more vengeful and petty, however little did he know that Nightmare was plotting something, once he had discovered that Kirby was on popstar he became furious as he thought he had wiped out the star warriors of old, after all his first mistakes were believing that he had wiped out all of the second generation of star children, and presuming that Meta Knight was dead. Now that he’s learned that the young star warrior was on Popstar, he made it his priority to defeat him by any means necessary.
Elsewhere in different sectors of the universe, several planets that were under the control of Holy Nightmare Enterprise were suddenly freed. This was done by the work of Destroyer Knight, formerly known as Spatarius. However, throughout his many missions to free planets from H.N.E.’s control, he’s heard rumors of how many demon beasts had fallen to a warrior of the stars, this intrigued him as he thought that all the star warriors had died from the last stand, clearly he was wrong and thought that there could’ve been survivors from the last stand of the GSA. So during his crusades, he manages to find a small number of star warriors, only for them to die from natural causes. One day, on the planet of Elira, a planet that was still under the control of H.N.E., Destroyer Knight arrived to not only free the planet but to achieve some vital information for the defeat of Nightmare. Little did he know he encountered a ghost of his past. He looked up into the sky and saw a first-generation star child riding a warp star in the sky when the mysterious person landed Destroyer Knight found out that the star child had a blade and a cutter cap, this was none other than his best friend Varlis, how he learned of this place was beyond Destroyer Knight, however, he couldn’t let emotion cloud his judgment. However, when Varlis was surrounded by a few demon beasts, he had no choice but to save him.
With fast reflexes and several slashes, Destroyer Knight slays the demon beasts, saving Varlis’ life. When Varlis then asks Destroyer Knight who he is, he sheathed his sword in his scabbard before responding, his voice disoriented thanks to his mask. “You may call me Destroyer Knight,” he said calmly before walking away. Varlis follows him before he asks what he’s doing, Destroyer Knight explains that there’s an outpost on the planet that holds vital information, and after he frees Elira he’ll find where Nightmare is hiding and bring the fight to him once and for all, before he could leave Varlis asks if he could help him, Destroyer Knight knew that Varlis wasn’t as skilled or powerful as he was, given that he was almost captured but he allowed Varlis to help him. The two soon made it to the command center as they fought their way through many demon beasts, Varlis noticed that Destroyer Knight’s fighting style was similar to his old friend’s style of fighting and that the sword he was using was the same sword Spatarius used to defeat a Gigant Edge that attacked his home once, “That sword, where did you get it?” Varlis asked, “It was bestowed by a star warrior who fell in battle.” Destroyer Knight responded. When Varlis asked if the star warrior was someone named Spatarius, he hesitated before saying it was him. The two made it to the central hub room of the command center, and they began looking for information vital to Nightmare's location. When he discovers the location of Nightmare’s fortress, he also finds plans and deals that were made by the ancients, an old but hateful order that some thought had disappeared from the universe. Wasting no time, Destroyer Knight downloads the information before he plants a bomb that would destroy the command center. However, the two of them would see two ships from H.N.E., and Varlis explains that they should hijack one of the ships to find Nightmare’s base. Although it is crazy, the two of them proceed with the idea.
The two of them fought their way through multiple demon beasts, as Destroyer Knight was on the defensive, Varlis was on offense, and they managed to sneak onboard one of the ships they quickly hijacked before they left the planet. Once they were in the clear Destroyer Knight asked Varlis why he went to Elira in the first place, “I was looking for a friend, they once wielded the Destroyer Sword, but seeing that you wield it could only mean one thing” Destroyer Knight interrupts him before speaking “He’s still alive, he’s out there somewhere, try not to give up hope yet”, “But if he’s alive….then why is he hiding?” Varlis asked, “He wants people to think he’s dead so he can protect those who matter to him”, Destroyer Knight says. As the autopilot was set, Destroyer Knight suggested that Varlis get some rest. As he shortly fell asleep, Destroyer Knight adjusted his mask before taking it off his face. He looked in his reflection through a window and had forgotten what he had looked like without his mask. “Damnit, he shouldn’t have found me; this encounter was nothing more than a mistake”, he said to himself. “To keep those I care about from being hurt, I must continue to mask myself from the world, Spatarius must stay dead”, he said before putting his mask back on as he remained vigilant.
Elsewhere, back on Popstar, in the year 4463, two years had passed since Kirby’s arrival. On a peaceful night, a demon beast called Destroya arrived before attacking Cappy Town. Although it was Dedede who ordered Destorya, his plan soon backfired as the demon beast began attacking his castle as well. After the attack on Cappy Town is concluded, Destorya leaves as Meta Knight appears, he tells Kirby that now is the time to take the fight to Nightmare and defeat him once and for all. Meta Knight soon leads Kirby and a few cappies to an underground passage which leads to a hangar bay housing a battleship known as the Halberd.
Meta Knight then explains that they’ll use the ship to travel to Nightmare’s fortress and destroy it once and for all. A few citizens volunteered to join Kirby and Meta Knight on the mission, while the rest would try to rebuild Cappy Town. Dedede soon caught wind of this mission and snuck on board the battleship before the hangar bay doors opened from the ceiling. The ship’s engines activate as it slowly lifts off the ground. However, a few Destroyas soon appeared to prevent the departure. Without wasting any time, Kirby hops onto his warp star to face the Destroyas as Meta Knight, Tiff, and Tuff assist him from the Halberd. After the Destroyas have been dealt with, Kirby returns to the Habred as it soars into the sky, leaving Popstar’s atmosphere. As Meta Knight sets the coordinates, Sword and Blade Knight discover that Dedede snuck on board before they took off. Despite everything, Meta Knight suggests that they put their personal feelings aside for now and focus on the main threat later.
Eventually, elsewhere, in the other regions of space, Destroyer Knight and Varlis soon found Nightmare’s fortress but had to stay out of a certain range to avoid detection. When Destroyer Knight wakes up Varlis, he soon notices the Halbre in the distance, although he doesn’t recognize it, but thinks it is just a battleship led by a rebellion. As the Helbred enters the fortress, Destroyer Knight sees this as an opportunity to sneak in while Nightmare deals with the outside forces. When Varlis volunteers to go with him, Destroyer Knight tells him to wait on this ship before he unsheathes his sword and holds it upwards. A beam of light soon appears around him, before he vanishes. Varlis would then see a trail of light, similar to a comet, zoom around before directly entering the fortress. Elsewhere inside the fortress, Kirby defeats a few airriders before discovering that Tiff has been kidnapped, while Kirby focuses on rescuing her, Meta Knight and the rest work on a plan to destroy the fortress.
Destroyer Knight soon runs into Meta Knight as he saves them from a few of Nightmare’s demon beasts. Meta Knight notices the Destroyer Sword in the armored warrior’s hands as he asks where he got it and how he was able to use it. “You’re asking questions at a time like this?”Destroyer Knight asks as he avoids answering the question “That sword belonged to a friend of mine”, he said “Who are you, and how did you get it?”, he asks before Destroyer Knight responds, “Someone who’s no friend of Nightmare and wishes nothing but his downfall, and if you’re wondering how you can destroy this place I can lead you to where you can set that bomb you have” Destroyer Knight responds as he runs off, although Meta Knight was skeptical and didn’t trust him he and the rest followed him. When they arrive at the command center, they begin to set explosives, but before Meta Knight can thank Destroyer Knight for his help, he sees that he has already left. Elsewhere within the fortress, Destroyer Knight tries to find Nightmare, but he finds someone else unexpected; he runs into Ryūsei, whom he had thought was dead since the last stand of the GSA.
“You’re still alive?” he asks Destroyer Knight. “You confuse me for someone else, I’m no one that you know of,” he says as he tries to make sure that he doesn’t expose himself. “I know who you were before you wore that ridiculous mask and cape as if you were some sort of second coming of a hero, Spatarius” Ryūsei says, as he doesn’t believe what Destroyer Knight was saying “That name means nothing to me, it belonged to a star warrior who died at the hands of Nightmare”, “More like you faked your death while the other warriors that fought alongside you died!” the ninja star child said in anger. “You used the power of a sword that you knew nothing about and killed countless star warriors that day, so why is it that you were spared while our brethren were not?”, he asks as Destroyer Knight doesn’t easily give in but remains strong to keep himself level headed “You have me confused for someone else, Spatarius is dead thanks to Nightmare,” he said, but Ryūsei wouldn't have it as he drew out his katana and tried to attack him. Destroyer Knight soon drew out his sword, blocking the attack. The two then became engaged in a sword fight as Destroyer Knight blocked and parried Ryūsei’s attack with ease. “You sent them to their end, took every last one of them with you, yet their deaths never haunted you?!” Ryūsei said as his attacks continued to be blocked, “HOW CAN YOU EVEN WEAR THAT MASK AND THAT CAPE KNOWING THAT YOU KILLED YOUR COMRADES IN BATTLE?!” he snarled before Destroyer Knight took matters into his own hands. He then pushed Ryūsei away before dashing forwards, landing a powerful strike that shattered Ryūsei’s blade.
“Are you finished?” Destroyer Knight says in a disturbed tone, which was almost hard to decipher due to the mask distorting his voice so that it was unrecognizable. Ryūsei would then sheath whatever was left of his katana in the scabbard before turning around and walking down the hallway. “Farewell, Spatarius,” he said, “Until we meet again,” as Ryūsei disappeared into the darkness. The fortress rumbled. Destroyer Knight soon concluded the idea that the warrior of the stars he had heard much about could be fighting Nightmare himself, wanting to see the end of the never-ending nightmare he had been living through, he rushed down the hall to find Nightmare. Elsewhere, as Kirby manages to find Tiff, he faces Nightmare, in the darkest situation possible, Tiff tosses Kirby's warp star before he inhales it and gains the power of the Star Rod. When Destroyer Knight arrives he sees that Nightmare writhing away upon being defeated, however, Destroyer Knight can’t believe that he has seen, the one who had brought fear to the universe had finally been defeated by the last second generation of the star children, although Destroyer Knight wanted to thank him for defeating Nightmare he chooses to leave as Kirby and Tiff soon reunite with the rest of the group who use the demon-beast delivery system to escape back to Popstar.
Destroyer Knight soon uses the power of the Destroyer Sword to escape Nightmare’s fortress before it explodes, reuniting with Varlis as he tells him that Nightmare has been defeated and that the universe is finally free. “So, the darkness and the fear, it’s all over now?” Varlis asks, “If that is what you want to believe, then it is,” Destroyer Knight says as he looks outward and sees the course of the ship for a new planet. Elsewhere, back on Popstar, when the group returns, they see that Cappy Town has been repaired and returned to normal. Although Castle Dedede was still in shambles. Meta Knight soon approaches Kirby as he removes his mask, revealing himself to him, congratulating him on his victory against Nightmare and saving the universe. This would also be known as the day that Kirby would be known as the Hero of Popstar.
However, things were not yet resolved between Kirby and Dedede. In the year 4464, Dedede had stolen all the food in Popsar to spite Kirby. Although he didn’t learn from his previous attempts to antagonize Kirby in the past, he was soon overwhelmed as Kirby defeated him and returned the food to everyone. After the following events, Kirby befriended Dedede and forgave him for everything. Although it was an unexpected gesture, it was the beginning of a new friendship and a new era.