Chapter 9: Plan I - Infiltration

When they made it to the Destroyer ship, Bun and the others were gathered in a small group. Meta Knight looked at the boy, his eyes glowing a sky blue. Sword and Blade were standing next to each other, their fingers intertwined.

Sirica cleared her throat. "Okay. Now that everyone's here, are you ready?" They all nodded.

Bun extended his fist out. "Let's save my sister!" The others copied his gesture before entering the Destroyer. Everything was set up the way it was before the crash, including a few new touch-ups. Meta Knight stepped up to the control panel while everyone else took their positions. He pressed the ignition button and the roof hatch opened up. The ship started rising and, as soon as it was high enough, flew off.

After the motion sickness-inducing liftoff, Sirica walked over to Knuckle Joe. "Any information from Falspar?"

"Yeah. He said he'll meet us there and lead one of the three groups to hook up the bombs." Sirica looked out and saw the vast expanse of stars in front of them. This was it; the final battle with Nightmare to stop his evil antics once and for all as well as save Fumu.

~~Fumu~~

After Fumu agreed to let Nightmare help her control her powers, she began to train with him in his office. "Now, focus. Think about anything that angers you. Your friends being hurt, your lover being killed before your eyes…" She winced, the ideas making her heart ache.

Soon, golden light began to encase her hands, shining dimly in the dark room. "Yes, that's good. Keep it up." The power she was releasing grew stronger and the suppression field she made earlier was created. He had to struggle to keep himself upright, but he had to admit: her powers were extraordinary.

She let out a breath and extended her arm in front of her. Here goes… The energy gathered in front of her palm and took a spherical shape. It flew from her hand and shot forward. The energy blast made contact with the target, scorching the bulls-eye. Her eyes widened.

"Very good, Fumu." The gravity field disappeared. A bright light filled the room, blinding them both before it subsided. Fumu looked at her hand and saw a mark was now there. It looked like the North Star, but it had two arrows crossing diagonally through it.

She looked at him. "What is this?" He looked out the window revealing a… stray Destroyer ship? "Nightmare?" Looking back at her again, he shook his head.

"Our lesson is done. Good work, now get back to your cell. Galacta Knight!" She stood there, glaring at him.

"Customer Service told me that, by agreeing to trust you, you would help me understand my powers. So keep your end of the bargain!" She was shouting, but he wasn't listening. Galacta Knight came in and lowered his lance before moving closer.

"Yes, Nightmare?"

"Take Fumu here to her cell, then report back to me for further orders. We can't just let them storm the place now, can we?" Nightmare explained. Galacta grunted his disapproval, but grabbed Fumu by her wrists and pulled her out of the office. Looking back out the window, Nightmare noticed that the ship was closer than before.

Damn. They're here earlier than I anticipated. Then an idea came to mind. "Customer Service!" The subordinate was in the room within a few seconds.

"Yes, Nightmare?" Nightmare turned to face him, grinning evilly.

"See to it that Galacta Knight gets what he wants." It took him a minute, but when it clicked, Customer Service shared his boss' grin. With a bow, he left the room.

~Back to MK~

In the Destroyer, Sirica and Meta Knight were driving the ship when they noticed a different ship. It was silver with green decals and a streak of pink and red going down the middle. A video call came in and, when they answered, Falspar's face popped up.

"I'm here, as promised. My unit will distract the defense ships long enough for you guys to drop off the bomb squad. When everyone's back on board, my ship will fly alongside yours to escape. Got it?" Meta Knight nodded and the call ended. Sirica steered the ship towards the docking zone, where Sword, Blade, Midnight, and Bun were dropped off. Meta Knight and Kirby flew down in their personal starships and Falspar's ship dropped him off. He and Midnight grabbed a bomb from Sword and headed off, Kirby and Bun doing the same.

The teams split off; Sword and Blade, Kirby and Bun, and Falspar and Midnight. Meta Knight, on the other hand, was going solo to find and rescue Fumu. He searched each hall, looking for the cell block.

Meanwhile, with Fumu, Oganth, and Galacta Knight, they were walking from Nightmare's office when a loud scream sounded from further down the hall.

"What was that?" Fumu asked. Oganth's eyes widened, tears welling up in her eyes. Galacta Knight turned to face the Stellanian.

"That was a scream coming from the Creation Extractor. Demon beasts that are either defective or act against Nightmare are torn apart, their vital parts and bodies preserved for future demon beast creation," he explained. Fumu felt like she was going to throw up, and Oganth felt the same.

However, she had to say something. "Fumu, I was created from a young girl's body, parts from other demon beasts were added to my body to keep my power from destroying my body." Fumu staggered back, holding her hand to her mouth. No, that couldn't be! They took both innocent people and living creatures and fused their parts together to create monsters? The very idea of it made her sick to her stomach.

"Come on, we have to go! My freedom isn't coming any sooner!" The girls followed.

Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life. "Galacta Knight, change of plans. We have an intruder that we need you to take care of. He's an adversary that you're just dying to beat." Then he was gone. Galacta Knight's angelic wings unfurled and lifted him toward his target. Oganth and Fumu followed after him, an unsettling feeling rising in her chest.

Back with the bomb teams, everyone had connected their bombs and were waiting for the signal. Falspar was sending a silent prayer to Nova for Blade to make it out of there alive. Sword and Blade were sitting together, thinking about the future. It was a pastime for them, allowing them to take their minds off of what was at stake for a few moments. Bun was pacing, impatiently waiting to hear the good news about his sister. He knew Meta Knight wouldn't fail.

Below the main floor, Meta Knight was still searching, without much luck. A blur of pink and white passed by him, cutting his right arm. It stopped, revealing Galacta Knight behind him. Fumu and Oganth had caught up, trying to catch their breath from running so much. When Fumu saw Meta Knight, she called out to him. He immediately turned to see her, his eyes a pale blue.

His joy was short-lived because he barely dodged Galacta's attack. "Don't ignore me, Meta Knight! This battle is between the two of us! I will prove that I'm the strongest in the universe!"

Meta Knight unsheathed Galaxia, taking an offensive stance. "Fumu, stand back." She nodded, stepping back with Oganth. Galacta Knight readied his lance, pointing it straight at Meta Knight's mask. The air was tense, the suspense unending as the anticipation for one of them to make a move became suffocating.