It was a peaceful night in Dreamland. It always is. The deep blue sky was accented by the wonderfully bouncy clouds floating through it, occasionally covering the crescent moon. Dark Matter had been vanquished along with its creator, 0. The world seemed at peace, to most.
There was one who felt that all was not right in the world, however. There was one who thought the planet of Pop Star would not be safe until there was no darkness left at all. And so he flew through the beautiful sky on his just-as-beautiful yet deadly wings. He flew towards a small dome-shaped house by a tree. The house of Kirby of the Stars.
Gooey slept peacefully. Kirby made sure of that. The little blob the colour of blueberries was wrapped in a blanket Kirby had lovingly crafted out of the very stars themselves. When he was certain his friend was comfortable, Kirby leaned his rosy-cheeked body against Gooey and let the Dream Spring cleanse his spirit, falling into a happy slumber.
The pink puffball was awoken by the sound of clinking armor outside his house. Normally he would not be jolted by such a small sound, but ever since peace returned to Dreamland he just hadn't been able to feel at ease. He worried about his slimy blue pal nearly all the time, and he saw now that his fears hadn't been in vain. He stood up quickly and quietly, making sure not to nudge his companion too much for fear Gooey would wake as well. The door opened to a figure of majesty and power. There, standing in the doorway like a round harbinger, was Meta Knight.
His eyes glinted and sparkled even in the darkness of Kirby's house. Each step he took let off a metallic rap on the floor that, though nearly silent, seemed to echo in the silence that was night.
"You know what must be done, Kirby," the masked figure growled in his deep voice. Kirby glanced down at Gooey to make sure he was not disturbed by the noise. He need not have worried; Gooey was a very sound sleeper.
Kirby placed himself in front of the slumbering blob and spread his arms out. He didn't care if it had to be done or not, his friend wasn't going to be destroyed without a fight!
"Kirby..." Meta Knight started, his dulcet tones suddenly softer, "I know you have had much loss in your life. I am sorry to have to contribute to it. You know it has to be done."
Grunting a squeaky grunt that would not be enough to intimidate a mouse, Kirby shook his head. "No. Gooey is my friend."
Meta Knight tried looking directly into Kirby's eyes. He tried making the pudgeball listen. "Kirby... Kirby, you have many friends. This one," he jerked his face a bit to acknowledge Gooey, "is a literal piece of Dark Matter. No matter how much you train him, he will turn eventually. It must be done!"
Kirby stood his ground. "Nothing is evil. Bad things happen to make other things act bad. Gooey is good. He's my friend and he is good!"
"I see. That is very noble, Kirby," Meta Knight sighed, "and also very naive. I give you one last chance to step down."
The plump hero did not step down. He assumed a defensive position. And then Meta Knight disappeared.
Kirby was confounded. Usually when he stood against the Knight of the Stars he would find himself immersed in a battle. He did not let his guard down, and turned to check on Gooey, who was still asleep after all the commotion. It looked like Meta Knight had actually left. Kirby started to turn away again when he saw a flash of movement. He turned towards it, and it was too late. A blade swiped by the oblivious blue blob and was gone. Kirby felt something warm splash him from the blob and fell back off his tiny feet.
"G... Gooey?" He stared at the blue creature as it shrank slowly, purple matter draining from it. "Gooey!"
It didn't matter how hard he cried. Though he had only known Gooey a short time, they would not be reunited. They would not frolic through fields of Lovelies as the sun shone down. They would not share their mid-day snack together on the sugary Candy Mountain. Gooey was gone.
It was still a peaceful night in Dreamland. The sky was still blue, the clouds were still soft and bouncy. But the lone figure in the sky, flying to his next destination, was not peaceful. He felt a twinge of remorse. He could almost overlook it, for he knew he had prevented chaos. Even if it did still hurt a little.
"I am sorry, Warrior of the Stars," he whispered to no one, "You will recover. In days, you will be floating joyously across the skies once again. I am certain."
Yes, Kirby has defeated many foes in the past. Dark Matter, 0, and Nightmare, for instance. Even so, it is obvious... Not even in Dreamland do all stories end with "happily ever after."