Hello fellow readers! It's... been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that. ^^; Don't worry, I'm not dead and I haven't given up writing but it's been very difficult writing anything due to my current living conditions, as in, I've pretty much no privacy to write (I will always be disturbed/distracted by someone)and writing in my bedroom is less than adequate as it involves me writing on a pad on the floor. And I'll be honest, working with computers all day leaves me with little desire to do more computer-related stuff afterwards so it's just as well I actually have a few chapters wrote down on actual paper. I've found it helps with the post-editing process as well. :) But one day, it would be nice to have a place of my own and have the peace and space to write.

So yes, some of you may already be aware of this story and that's been quite some time in the making. I've no idea of how long it will be or when it will be finished but I hope to provide some entertainment and quality story-telling in the meantime. So without further adieu, thank you for your continued patience and support. Enjoy the story. :)

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

Greetings, my friends. Do you know of the Gamble Galaxy? Surely you must. It is one emblazoned with star-streaked vistas and shimmering nebulae painted upon a canvas of midnight darkness. The fiery exhalation of numerous comets rush across the vastness of space, leaving behind traces of crimson flame and sparkling ice. A panorama of glowing, multi-coloured stars and moons await your sight. The vivid rings of the distant planets pulse with soft energy; a velvet, gentle sensation that is yet untouchable. You breathe. The light is golden. You sense peace.

The planets are as veritable beacons in the infinite frontier. One is an environment where the rocks were once shattered by a great cataclysm and are now held together by gravity's whim; a constantly shifting collection of geological masses between which the hot sands blow endlessly. Another is a location where volcanoes erupt with molten lava amidst the untouched rainforests, the pure, gushing rivers and the towering mountains – a most pristine landscape. And then another planet – a personal favourite – is shaped like a symbolic five-pointed star, bathed with a golden atmosphere, and surrounded by its vibrant, circling rings, the brightest planet in the Gamble Galaxy. It is my home.

I direct your attention now to a particular planet known as Ripple Star. By some accident of creation, it is shaped like a heart and pulses like one too. Many intergalactic travellers will make their way here believing that it is a source of love or will provide a cure to their heartbreak problems; an apothecary for romance if you will.

Ripple Star is also noted for the fabled artefact that resides in one the central kingdoms: the Great Crystal that is said to purge darkness and restore purity. Such is the power that when used, it can cleanse an entire planet of corruption.

So why then had Ripple Star been engulfed by a corrupting darkness, infected, twisted and blackened by the forces of Dark Matter and their leader? Why was the planet seen to be heading towards destruction, towards death, its very heart even to be shattered and darkened beyond hope?

This is a story about the Crystal Shards. This is a story about a child of the stars and his journey from one planet to another, carrying an unbearable weight on his back, the hopes of countless people and the trials and tribulations that he was destined to face amongst the many others he had already fought against in his young life.

Let us begin…

A terrible storm was brewing.

Ribbon looked outside with great concern. Such a storm was not normal, she decided. The sky rumbled and slowly turned black with slow lightning occasionally streaking past. She hesitated for a while and then stepped outside. Maybe it would pass by. Maybe it was nothing more than a natural if volatile storm to come.

The planet knows something awful is about to happen to it, the queen had said in an unguarded moment. Ribbon did not fully understand; she was only relatively new to her current position within the queen's retinue as a Crystal Guardian. How could a planet detect such things? And in any case, they had the Great Crystal didn't they? Surely the Great Crystal would protect them if things went drastically wrong? That was its purpose was it not?

Nobody else appeared especially concerned about the unusual weather. Indeed, the sky was clear in certain parts so people were already out on the streets going about their daily business. Ribbon yawned. It was supposed to be her day off and yet here she was out in the capital worrying about the weather having been unable to drop back off to sleep again when she woke up early. She ended up buying a hot snack from a street vendor and chewed in a rather lethargic manner. Perhaps it would be best to walk about for a while and if she got caught in the rain, so what? The water was clean and it would possibly do her some good.

She sat down by the fountain and let the trickling water soothe her, ignoring the people who walked on by. She vaguely wondered, not for the first time, what the other planets within the Gamble Galaxy were like as she was currently learning about them. Were they as beautiful as this one? What were its people like? Did they have anything like Ripple Star's Great Crystal? If only there was the time and ability to visit them. If only there weren't the duties.

As Ribbon stood up, a nearby statue exploded.

In an instant, the sky was engulfed by darkness far deeper than surely deemed possible. The atmosphere grew tremendously heavy and almost sickening besides. A miasma of evil began spreading throughout the city and its citizens choked on the black air. An unseen force caused their hearts to beat wildly, their minds now being violently attacked. The darkness started inching its corrupting influence amongst the people without resistance. It snuffed out light as a candle before a breeze.

Those not in the immediate vicinity of the infestation screamed and panicked while the sky became terribly black, obscuring the sun. Destruction rained down; streets cracked as if broken by an earthquake, buildings collapsed and black energy, black fire spewed out of nowhere. And above all, when the light of the sky completely vanished, that was when the innumerable eyes appeared.

Ribbon had already fled her spot. She made her way to the castle before those demonic eyes materialised. There was no-one else around. Soon she had arrived in the vault where the Great Crystal resided gasping for breath. She then noticed the queen by the Great Crystal's pedestal panicking almost as much as the citizens. Distressingly, there was no sign of any other Crystal Guardians.

"Oh, you're here, Ribbon, thank goodness!" the queen cried over the sound of the castle's foundation's quaking. "You must take the Great Crystal and flee!"

"B-but surely it's needed here!" Ribbon protested.

"We can't activate it in such circumstances; the enemy will seek to destroy it. You must take it to another planet and seek help from there. Quickly!"

Startled, Ribbon touched the Great Crystal but did not yet flee. "I've barely even begun my training."

"You're the only one available, my child. You will have to do."

What could Ribbon say to that? Had the others already been taken? Where were they? "I don't have a starship," she replied instead.

"The Great Crystal will take you and protect you if you let it do so. Let it guide you; it will find someone to help you. Now please go or we'll all be destroyed!"

Heart pounding, Ribbon held onto the Great Crystal with the intention of removing it from its pedestal. However, a portal unexpectedly opened above her and without warning, the Great Crystal burst skyward, taking Ribbon with it before she even knew what was happening, before she even had the chance to say goodbye.

Soon enough, they vanished from view as the Great Crystal shot through the dark cloud to seek a safe haven somewhere, anywhere.

"Be safe, my dear," the queen whispered softly.

She then turned to see the darkness seeping in through the cracks and from a single, unblinking eye.

No-one heard her scream.

Protected by the mysterious energies of the Great Crystal, Ribbon was now outside Ripple Star's atmosphere and raced through the vastness of space at an unimaginable speed. Had she not been fleeing for her own life, she would have observed the cosmos in silence and awe.

She had not travelled far from the planet when three essences of the dark, polluting cloud suffocating Ripple Star broke off and began to hunt Ribbon down at a speed that was surely impossible for living creatures.

"No!" Ribbon screamed. She clutched her only safety tightly. They must have come to destroy the Great Crystal. And if the Great Crystal was destroyed, then she would be destroyed. All of Ripple Star would be destroyed.

The mouthless, ocular creatures smacked themselves into the Great Crystal's side with Ribbon clinging on for dear life.

"Faster, faster!" she urged the Great Crystal. The Great Crystal seemed to shimmer light blue in response but it was already travelling as fast as it could. She did not notice how space appeared to warp around the Great Crystal akin to a celestial passageway, adding to its fantastic speed, allowing them cross countless miles in a blink of an eye, nor regrettably did she see how her assailants were using that exact same stellar tunnel to keep to the chase.

The abominations battered the Great Crystal more heavily and to Ribbon's absolute terror, awful cracks were now visible upon its surface.

"Hold on!" she cried to the Great Crystal. It couldn't break here… not here… her people… they would…

The dark beings struck the Great Crystal once more and this time, the Great Crystal shattered wholly and in the midst of the blinding light of the explosion, Crystal Shards were flung in all directions.

The beings broke away; dazzled by the light they were so opposed to but with the sense that they had at least accomplished their task for now. Blinded however by that terrible supernova, they stole away in the middle of the chaos and vanished from sight.

Near a planet that shimmered like a star, Ribbon – clutching a single shard – drifted silently through space. The shard glowed; a small protective bubble lit up, and it pointed to the only sanctuary in reach.

Kirby was about to kill someone.

"Ahh! Get away from me, Kirby!"

"You've had your chance and you lost it."

"That ain't fair, I—"

"Life isn't fair, Joe."

"No, I will fight my way out of this; you can't stop me!"

"Believe me, I will stop you."

Their weapons brutally clashed against one another, steel ringing loud and clear, their bloody wounds visible for all to see, a vicious fight that was now staged before the setting crimson sun. One was now tiring quickly in the last stage of the brutal conflict and the battle would be brought to a sharp end.

Kirby kicked Knuckle Joe into the dust stained red and raised his blade.

"Any final words, Joe?"

"Urghhh… yeah, if I haven't got more bonus points than you, I will scream."

"…What?"

"Come on, Kirby, just finish him off already!" a voice demanded.

Kirby sighed and pressed the button required to deliver an automatic kill.

"TEAM POYO WINS!"

Knuckle Joe threw down the controller with disgust. "I can't believe you beat me again; you don't even have thumbs!"

Kirby grinned. "I'm just good at fighting."

"In real life, yeah, but—"

Sirica rolled her eyes. "You two are so dramatic. And we would have won, Joe, if you had actually attacked Kirby when he was still in the trap!"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I was sprung by Level 5 monsters. You could have taken Kirby!"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I was dealing with Benikage!"

Benikage gave a little smile. "I was lucky; I got an attack bonus. Speaking of which, the special bonuses are up now."

The group stared at the screen and ran through the expansive list. Knuckle Joe suddenly cried out.

"Oh, come on! I know I picked up more coins than you guys!"

"You're useless at this, Joe," Sirica moaned.

I was just unlucky!"

"That's what you get for calling yourselves 'Team Invincicool'," Benikage pointed out.

"Says the ones calling themselves 'Team Poyo'," Knuckle Joe muttered.

"You were the one who thought that funny," Kirby frowned. "And I haven't even said that for years."

"Are we done here, guys?" Sirica asked. She stretched out on the sofa and flicked a stray strand of white hair out of the way. "Some of us haven't got the luxury to be spending all day playing video games, you know."

"Neither have we," Knuckle Joe objected, "but we do have some time on our hands and don't pretend you don't enjoy this because I know you do. Now have we got some really crappy games? Because I wanna laugh at some crappy games."

"Um, I think we have that Boom 06 game," Benikage offered.

"Perfect. And then I'm gonna practice real hard so I can beat you good and proper, Kirby."

"Or perhaps," said a low voice at the back of the room, "we can prepare to practice for moves and abilities we are currently neglecting?"

The entire group immediately jumped and turned round to see Sir Arthur lurking by the door. Knuckle Joe, in his haste, fell off the sofa and onto the carpet. Sirica grabbed her custom blaster maintained with great meticulousness and shoved it into its holster. "Sir Arthur, I was just getting ready."

Knuckle Joe scrabbled upright. "Yeah, me too! Except I'm always ready, honestly."

"I'll believe you, Joe. Thousands wouldn't."

"Um," said Benikage, "we're not in trouble are we?"

"You won't be if you get moving now. Oh, Kirby," Sir Arthur added before they could all dash off. "I was asked to bring you a message in the assumption that you would be here: you now owe a full jar of sweets."

Kirby looked completely nonplussed for a moment until the meaning hit him.

"Ahh! I completely forgot!"

Kirby quickly said his farewells before launching himself out of the games room and down the long corridor that would take him to the training grounds as fast as his feet could carry him. On the way he passed several people including warriors, medics and intelligence officers who all glanced his direction as they saw the young boy rushing for his presumably late appointment. It was at moments like these when Kirby wished he wasn't such a familiar face in the GSA and that its headquarters wasn't quite so big.

The GSA, or the Galaxy Solider Army to give it its proper name, was an organisation that retained in its ranks a wide range of races hailing from many different lands and planets. It had been originally established to combat the scourge of Nightmare, a manifestation of nightmarish evil and creator of demonbeasts whose ambitions were to destroy and conquer entire lands, even entire planets. While Nightmare had been weakened by constant assaults, his immense power and demonbeast factories had eventually led to the near-complete decimation of the GSA leaving behind a scattering of Galaxy Soldiers and even less of the elite Star Warriors whom Nightmare had been especially keen to eradicate.

All hope had seemed lost for even if Nightmare was no longer at his full strength, prevented from doing so ever again thanks to the might of the GSA's finest forces, it appeared impossible that he should be destroyed completely. Yet one Star Warrior, armed with a legendary sword, had held onto hope beyond hope, despite believing that he was the last of the true Star Warriors and quite alone in his endeavours, and on a peaceful planet, spent years constructing an incredible star-faring ship with the help of no-one but his two apprentices sworn to loyalty and secrecy. With his own intuition and the advice of the local totem, he waited for a sign; a sign of the first new Star Warrior to head a new generation of fighters and revive the GSA, waiting for a warrior who would rise up with their mysterious gifts and a powerful spirit and destroy Nightmare for good.

What he got was an infant.

Nevertheless, he sensed a brimming power just like his own and saw that the child could wield the legendary blade that allowed only the worthy to even touch it, let alone fight with it. Despite the circumstances, he trained that child who was pitted against demonbeast after demonbeast, a child who was of such an age that he could not even speak.

The star-faring ship was completed and it was discovered that the veteran was not the last of the old Star Warriors after all. With combined strength, they were able to take the final assault to Nightmare himself, deep within his dark fortress, and it was with the power of the stars that the child delivered the killing blow to Nightmare and ended his reign of terror.

The power of the stars had since served the child well for the threat to the galaxy had not ended with Nightmare: it was only the beginning. Darkness that had slept for eons awoke from many hidden corners and aimed to destroy all life, all existence or corrupt it for its own unknown purposes. Even the planets themselves were under the threat of death. But with the GSA revived and the greatest of Star Warriors amongst their ranks, evil could be kept at bay and people could live largely in peace, thankfully ignorant of the fates that could otherwise have befallen them.

That child crashed into the training grounds, specifically the simulation area, and ended up sprawled on the floor.

"M-made it…" he gasped.

"Good evening, Kirby."

Kirby lifted his head slightly and saw his mentor not even looking his way but apparently engrossed in a book. "I heard you coming quite some distance away before you ask since you do rather make a din and it may come across as some surprise to you that I recognise the sound of your footsteps quite well."

Kirby didn't respond directly to that and said, "Meta, it's not evening."

"Really?" The Star Warrior put aside his book and stood up, wrapping his cape around his self in one smooth motion. "Were you any later, it would have indeed been evening and I would have perhaps retired early to seek comfort in my quarters or some other such place instead of bearing arms at such a late hour."

Kirby winced. "Sorry."

His mentor shook his head. "You do realise that I treat you lightly in comparison to the others?"

Kirby gave a lopsided smile. "Maybe?"

"I indulge you too much."

"What?" Kirby realised he was still on the floor and quickly picked himself up. "You call bringing me here to batter me with Galaxia and a bunch of monsters indulging me?"

From behind his silver mask, the warrior known as Meta Knight smirked. "Who else has that privilege? Now—" Meta Knight tossed an ordinary light bulb in Kirby's direction, "—we shall be focussing on combining elements of your Copy Ability again."

Kirby nodded expectantly and swallowed the light bulb whole, absorbing the electricity inside it to transform into Spark Kirby.

The warriors that made up the GSA had all manners of powers and skills but none so unique as Kirby's: the Copy Ability. The Copy Ability was one that allowed an individual to absorb the essence or element of a given material be it organic or otherwise and transform their inner power and outer appearance into that reflecting the chosen essence. This included and was not limited to essences such as: Fire, Bomb, Ice, Stone, Beam, Cutter and far more. Kirby's range was vast and yet there was more he had not yet discovered but would do so in time. Indeed, the main objective of his lessons with Meta Knight was to discover new abilities that could be potentially used in battle as well as fine-tuning and increasing the effectiveness of his previously established abilities. Kirby, as far as Meta Knight was concerned, was limitless in his potential.

As far as Kirby knew, he was the only living one who could wield this power even though Meta Knight had great and extensive knowledge of the ability. It certainly added to his overall unique qualities even if he couldn't quite understand how the hell it worked at all. It seemed completely illogical to suggest that his stomach was like a hole to another dimension which allowed him not only to possess abilities both expected and unexpected but also swallow various entities and vast quantities of food as well (and unfortunately hardly ever feel quite full enough as a result) but that was apparently how it worked or was at least the best description for it according to certain accounts. It was best not to think too much about it really.

Unlike most of the people on the planet Popstar or those in the GSA, Kirby was what was colloquially known as a 'puffball' and as such was often a person of considerable interest even if one was unaware of his past heroics. Meta Knight was considered a puffball too although their abilities differed noticeably for while Meta Knight did not possess the Copy Ability (as the mask he wore almost permanently made clear), he did have the gift of flight and limited teleportation abilities to boot. This was, however, unknown to all but a few including Kirby who had more than earned the old warrior's trust.

The similarities between the two had not gone unnoticed though. Both were spherical and fairly small (and although Meta Knight would never admit it, this was the most likely reason as to why he liked to gain an advantage of height above others on numerous occasions, purely for strategic reasons of course) and felt flexible and soft; a useful attribute to have when fighting demonbeasts and other foes, being able to soak up more damage than most. If Meta Knight actually removed his mask in public, it would be seen that both had surprisingly similar facial features as well. And both, it appeared, possessed a mysterious power linked to the stars. Perhaps that was why they were the only two currently known to be able to wield Galaxia.

Kirby's body crackled with bright electricity. He currently possessed something like a banded crown with blue sparks leaping from the top in short waves. He charged several bolts and sent them flying directly into the holographic monsters that was the simulation area's purpose. One tried to assault him from behind but Kirby dodged just in time and leapt high to unleash another attack from above, striking the foe with a great thunderbolt. The monster screeched and vanished.

"Very good," said Meta Knight though simulations were never going to be the same as the real thing. "Now try to combine Spark with Spark again."

Kirby grimaced. "Uhh, Meta…"

"I know what you are going to say but try to focus on letting the energies fuse together to create a new ability. Imagine the two combining together. Keep it focussed in your mind so they don't go out of control. I can't tell you exactly how the process should feel but it ought to go more smoothly as you refine your technique."

Kirby took the extra bulb from Meta Knight and stared at it already not believing it would work. A sudden roar brought him to attention; more monsters had been released and he needed to act quickly.

He understood the general principle: he needed to absorb the new ability whilst retaining the old one but in ordinary circumstances, the old one would vanish. Meta Knight had this idea though – something he had chanced across in an old tome had seemingly given him the inspiration – that Kirby could potentially combine his abilities and thus add more to his repertoire and discover more about his skills in the process. Logically speaking as well, it would be easier to combine the same two abilities rather than differing ones, at least until he was more accomplished at the task. So with that in mind, Kirby swallowed the light bulb and tried to mix the energy of its essence with that of Spark again. As he did so, Kirby noticed his body becoming brighter, almost filled with light. It was, in a way, quite beautiful.

Five seconds later, Kirby exploded and destroyed the floor beneath him, leaving behind a rather large crater. Meta Knight quickly cleared the monsters away and doused the smoking puffball with a hose kept for such occasions such as this and considered that it was just as well they were staying away from Bomb for the time being; heavens knew how much damage Kirby would cause with that, not to mention how Crash was completely out of the question. This was not the first time this had happened. He made a thoughtful sound.

"Still unstable but you did manage to hold it a little longer this time. If you combine anything with Bomb though, you'll need to learn how to control the explosion lest you also hurt any comrades that happen to be nearby."

Kirby groaned and coughed up smoke. "I don't think I'll get that far."

"You will do; I have every confidence in you. It will just take time and while it might seem impossible now, I know it can be done. Once you've mastered combining two things of the same essence, we may move on then to differing essences and see what result we can gain from them; I daresay you'll be able to combine Sword with a few elements like Fire and Ice. It might well be easier with Sword considering your experience with it. Now, let us take this again from the top."

Kirby tried his hardest – he always did for Meta Knight – but no matter what he did, he kept getting similar results and thus repeated failures. He could almost see the elements in his mind's eye merging together to create something desirable but if he looked at it any closer, it would pop like a delicate bubble and the combination would be lost. Until he had achieved consistent success with the technique during practice, it could potentially be dangerous for him to try it out on the field. Despite all this though, Meta Knight merely kept a neutral expression and when it was clear that Kirby wouldn't be achieving the move today, he tidied away their training equipment while Kirby took a well-deserved break. Once finished, he swept his cape aside and said, "Very well, we shall continue with the normal session."

Glad to move on to something else, Kirby took up his usual training sword and copied it to become Sword Kirby. Meta Knight allowed Galaxia to phase into existence from its hilt and once they gave each other a quick bow as per the tradition, they began to duel.

Kirby grimaced as he attempted to land a strike against his mentor whose superior speed ensured that he would deliver more hits than he would take despite his age. Meta Knight's yellow eyes occasionally glowed blue while he sparred with his student, his blade Galaxia striking hard against Kirby's sword, strengthened only by being copied. While fighting, Kirby knew that Meta Knight was activating a kind of skill that allowed him to unleash a burst of speed forcing the young Star Warrior to forever be on his guard for a surprise attack. He practically teleported about the battlefield and it was one such skill that rightfully defined him as a Star Warrior. Meta Knight was not one to make a duel easy, especially for Kirby. But as adrenaline pumped around Kirby's body and the two clashed against each other in the field, the pink puffball felt a familiar kind of pleasure.

Finally, after the sun had long since set, the Star Warriors lowered their swords, breathing heavily.

"Mmm, good work, Kirby." Meta Knight sheathed Galaxia into a scabbard no bigger than a cup. "It's clear your swordsmanship is not lacking."

Kirby made his ability vanish. "I should hope not; you've been teaching me it long enough."

"Indeed, just as I will teach you to combine your abilities on the field to help you ever more against the demonbeasts we must face. Is something the matter, Kirby?" he asked sensing a certain quietness.

"Meta… will there always be demonbeasts? Will there always be something we must fight against?"

His mentor's eyes flickered green for a moment. "I'm afraid so. The universe has always had its dark manifestations and there have always been good people ready to defend others against them. I doubt it will end any time soon. Why the question?"

"Oh, the Cappies were kinda asking…"

Kirby wished at times he could fully gauge Meta Knight's expression. As it was, Meta Knight had his cape around him as usual and his eyes remained a neutral yellow. "Hmm, I suppose they would though I cannot blame them for their anxiety – it is their home after all. But there is something else is there not?"

Kirby hesitated. "I just feel… a little outta sorts."

"You know where I am if you ever need me."

Kirby nodded. Yes, he always had Meta Knight's backing. He had done so ever since fighting demonbeasts from infancy.

"Well," said Meta Knight, "I won't keep you any longer. Do remember to be on time tomorrow won't you? I doubt the ice adepts will want to hang around for long; they may lose their cool."

"Yeah," said Kirby absent-mindedly. Being able to gain expertise in a variety of abilities, Meta Knight often used Kirby to demonstrate to Galaxy Soldiers how to use and improve their powers, most only possessing one kind and as such, was recognised by pretty much everybody in the organisation. He then realised what was just said. "Meta, that was terrible."

Meta Knight gave a light chuckle. "I know. And don't forget you owe me something."

Kirby gave a groan. "I guess I did agree to that."

"You did. Now give my regards to the others. Goodnight, Kirby."

"Night, Meta."

Kirby left the training grounds and assumed that Meta Knight would probably meet up with his old comrades afterwards. Kirby had half a mind to do something similar but instead he ended up leaving the GSA headquarters and walking towards the hills nearby. He needed some fresh air.

The night was cool but not unpleasantly so. Kirby sat down on the grass and gazed into the distance, the hill overlooking Cappy Town and the castle of King Dedede, the somewhat questionable ruler of Dream Land.

Kirby had not been born here; he had no idea of his true origins, but Dream Land was as much his home as anyone else's. He had crash-landed here in a little starship for one, arriving from an unknown destination, and had almost immediately been thrust into fighting for his life and that of others, first contending against a giant, fireball-shooting octopus demonbeast and most frequently against the machinations of a greedy and selfish king. Life had been hard when one was constantly attacked by terrible monsters more often than not capable of levelling entire villages. But Dream Land was worth fighting for. Sitting here now, with nothing but a stirring wind and the atmosphere of peace and serenity, he knew he would always protect Dream Land and everything in it and beyond that, Popstar. He couldn't imagine anything else.

It was just that… maybe he felt like he was missing something. Maybe he wanted something more.

Kirby lay back and watched the sparkling stars in the clear, night sky; he had always felt a great connection to the stars. He let out a sigh of contentment and felt the light breeze tickle him. Out here on his own surrounded by natural beauty, he could truly feel at peace. If only he could have more of this. If only such moments could be bottled.

As Kirby was star-gazing, he saw a number of shining objects shoot though the sky. Intrigued, Kirby sat upright for a better look and wondered if anyone else was also watching. It looked like a meteor shower; it was quite possibly the right time of year for them. He decided to remain some time just observing the natural phenomenon pass by, enjoying the rare opportunity of peace and privacy. It was not that often, he thought vaguely, that he had much time for himself. He spent many minutes just sat there, enjoying the moment while he could.

There's sure a lot of them. And they look like they're getting closer. Not that Kirby was particularly worried; it was a pleasant sight to see and he was quite sure that most of them would burn up before reaching the ground anyway. He yawned widely and wondered whether he would end up falling asleep out here. That was until one of those objects struck Kirby directly and catapulted him forwards.

"AHH!"

Kirby grimaced in pain and would have tried to hold the spot where he was hit had it not come from behind where he could not reach that part of his body. He stood up, cautious of whether he was going to be hit again – he certainly didn't think that anything would have come from behind him when he could see the meteor shower in front of him – and spotted the glittering object in the grass.

"Huh?" Kirby went to inspect it. It looks like a… crystal? I guess it would make a nice souvenir. Better than just getting a bruise at least.

Kirby thought briefly; the object looked safe enough. He swallowed the shard for safe-keeping – a highly-useful feature of his bottomless stomach – and decided he had better return. Only then was he struck by an even heavier object.

Kirby yelled loud and was sent sprawling. What was that?!

Wincing, he picked himself up and wondered if he had been hit by an even bigger crystal. To his surprise and alarm, it was actually a person and she appeared to be unconscious.

"H-hey, are you OK?"

Kirby rushed over and inspected the person. She seemed to be breathing fine at least. Oddly enough, she was gripping a shard just like the one Kirby had picked up. Was she the cause of the shower just now?

Kirby didn't know what to do. Should he try waking her up or leave her and get help? Yet soon after thinking this, the decision was made for him as the stranger's eyes flickered open.

"Um, are you—"

"Get away from me!"

Kirby quickly stepped back as the stranger tried to swat having little energy to do anything else. Nothing appeared to be broken at least. "Uhhhhh, I don't know what happened but you're safe here." The stranger blinked in confusion.

"Are… are they still following me?"

"Uhh, I didn't see anything." Kirby wished he had something more useful to say. The stranger clutched her shard tightly and began to quiver.

"The Great Crystal's broken…" she whispered. Tears began to blossom. "I was meant to protect it. I didn't get away in time and it's all my fault. My people… they… they're in trouble. They..." She looked completely lost and before Kirby knew it, she began to loudly cry.

Kirby stood still and for a moment felt clueless. He never really knew how to deal with crying people much as he wanted to help them, especially as he often felt himself affected by their emotions. He gingerly touched the stranger's arm. "Um, try… try not to worry." The stranger only bawled louder. Kirby winced. So much for that. "Uhhhhh, really, I can probably help you."

"How can you?" she wailed. "The Great Crystal's shattered into who knows how many pieces, my planet's been attacked by some weird cloud thing and everyone I know is probably gonna die!"

Kirby knew he couldn't offer that many words of comfort in her current state so he said, "I'll take you to the Galaxy Soldier Army. Whatever it is, we'll come up with something. Please don't cry; we'll help you however we can."

It was several minutes before the stranger's tears subsided and left her with hiccups. The offer was nice, perhaps said without his understanding, but it was impossible. Absolutely impossible. And yet on her own in a land she didn't even know the name of, she knew she had no choice but to go with this... odd-looking person.

"I'm Kirby," the odd-looking person said. "What's your name?"

"I'm… I'm Ribbon." And with that, suddenly finding the tumultuous events of her ordeal catching up with her, she fainted.

Kirby immediately went to pick her up. She was a little bigger than him but certainly nothing he couldn't handle. Taking great care, he hoisted Ribbon onto his back and slowly headed for the GSA headquarters. It was going to be a long night.