Just Like Puppets
The world was dark. I awoke in a flash of white. It was a miracle. I wasn't dead.
The ors. The wings. The emblem. The mast. Even all one hundred and twenty-two Energy Spheres. They were all gone.
A figure approached me.
"Poyo?"
I stuttered. "Y-You'll help me?"
"Poyo!" the figure replied, nodding its head with what seemed like the best smile he could put on.
And it was as easy as that.
Ever since I had crashed in Dreamland, Kirby and his friends had volunteered to help repair the Lor by finding the ship's missing parts that were scattered all over Planet Popstar. They didn't suspect a thing. Not when their prescious friend had offered them a trip to Halcandra.
I had them wrapped around my fingers.
Doing my task for me.
Obeying my every command.
Just like puppets.
"Bravo, Kirby." I grinned, slowly floating down to the now defeated Landia as the Master Crown sat next to her, just begging to be stolen. "Your help defeating Landia was invaluable."
Kirby, King Dedede and Bandanna Dee all looked confused as I approached the crown. What is he doing? they all probably thought. Meta Knight's reaction was hard to understand; the metal mask he was wearing didn't help.
"Hmm, at long last, it's mine~!" I cooed, picking up the crown before any of them could stop me. They were just like puppets. And I was their master.
"The Master Crown!"
The trip from Halcandra to another dimension had been rough. The Lor, my prescious baby, had been destroyed. But with Landia out of the way, I had high hopes that this battle would go undeniably well with the unlimited power of the Master Crown.
"Impostor!"
"Traitor!"
They all took a turn to insult me, each of them preparing for a fight as they equipped their respective weapons. All of them, except Kirby. The pink puffball had a look of despair on his face. Like he had just lost a friend. Hah, what a pity. His sad blue eyes almost made me sob a little. Almost.
"The only one who betrayed you are yourselves." I scoffed.
"Kirby's just a baby!" I heard Bandanna Dee reply. I didn't bother to respond. I had heard enough of their constant whining.
Dedede, Bandanna Dee and Meta Knight's blood coated the floor. They were still alive, sadly, but progress had to be made.
I winced as Kirby's Ultra Sword grew three times its size, as the puffball slammed it against me. I was quick, however, putting my hands in front of me to form a shield. But Kirby wouldn't give up. I felt my shield cracking as my powers were getting weaker, but the thought of Kirby's and Meta Knight's rotting corpse kept me going. Their species had driven me to insanity long enough.
"Aw, what's the matter?" one asked. "Little Maggie reading his book?"
Another took the time to snatch it out of my hands. "Ooh, what's this about?"
"Hey! Give that back!" I cried, attempting to try and grab it but they simply passed it to someone else whenever I got close to the one holding it. One took the time to stop and read the title.
"'Planet Popstar's History and the Legendary Kirby of the Stars'?" he read, holding back a chuckle. As soon as the others laughed, he couldn't help himself either as I felt my cheeks burn with embarrasment.
"Aw, Maggie's a little nerd!" one called.
"N-No I'm not!" I screamed, holding back tears.
"Reading little kiddy stories to help him get to sleep at night?" another snickered.
"No, i-it's not that! Kirby's one of-"
"Kirby's a child." one spat. "Just admit that you're a nobody that likes reading shit for kids, you fucking dork."
I could only hold my tears in for so long as a felt a punch to my rib cage. Then another to my face as I was pushed on the floor, each and every one of them taking a swing whenever it was possible.
"H-Help..." I cried.
"Aw, what's the matter? Don't have your mommy to protect you?" one laughed, as the others joined in.
Please, I didn't deserve this. Stop it, I'm begging you! Why aren't they listening?! Stop!
I felt one final tear drop as the Ultra Sword crashed down on me, slicing me several times as my black blood dripped on the fiery floor of another dimension. The last thing I saw was the sword grow another four times as Kirby showed no remorse. Just like the bullies back at Halcandra.
But I wasn't dead. Far from it, in fact. Those fools didn't know that as long as the Master Crown was still intact, I could still live.
I felt a dark aura engolf me, and before I knew it; any sign of sanity I had left was completely drained as I had no control over my body.
The anger stored inside me, inside my soul. Magolor's Soul. I couldn't help it. With one large growl, an explosion sounded as Kirby's friends had ducked for cover, while the explosion was powerful enough to get rid of Kirby's Ultra Sword ability, the Copy Ability emancipating immediately as it left his body.
I felt a pickprick on my side, which turned out to be Bandanna Dee and his spear. Dedede was the one no doubt attacking me from above, since he wasn't standing with Kirby and Meta Knight.
Thos two could wait. For now, I needed to rid Kirby and Meta Knight of their life. To finally put to rest the last two Star Warriors left.
I summoned a horde of enemies to distract the king and his servent as I decided to give Kirby a taste of his own medicine. With the power of the Master Crown, I created two Ultra Swords as I swung one down to the two puffballs. But that wasn't enough as Dedede had thrown his hammer, effectively pushing them out of the way just in time as my sword hit the floor. Kirby found his moment of opportunity as he spotted one of the enemies I summoned, a Blade Knight, as Kirby was quick to inhale it and gain the Sword ability. But one flimsy little sword was nothing compared to two giant ones.
As Kirby inhaled some air, he floated past one of them as I took another swing, almost on target. As Kirby reached my facial area, he spat the air out as he deflated and landed on me, throwing a sword beam at me. I winced, though I soon realised he had come right to me.
And with one swift motion, I had trapped the pink mennace with my own two hands. My puppet was a sitting duck, ready to get squished like a tiny, insignificant bug.
As I uncovered one hand, I saw the return of that look of sadness and betrayal in his once happy eyes. His smile was long gone, and it was replaced with a contagious frown.
"Why?"
The question had startled me. Not because it was of any importance, no. It was because... Kirby had just spoken.
"Why did you do this to us? We helped you, we repaired your ship, defeated Landia for you and even collected everything you told us to. We trusted you." Kirby said, a look of defeat in his eyes.
"You can't blame anybody but you! It was nobody's fault that you trusted and attempted to befriend a villain. Nobody's fault, except yours, of course." I replied.
"We trusted you!" he repeated, this time with a much angrier but saddened tone in his voice, as I finally saw a sight I never thought I'd see; Kirby crying. Tears streamed down his cheeks, the puffball sniffled as he shook his head in denial. It looked like color was leaving his body. I had broken him. My puppet.
"Pathetic." I spat. "You really are as gullible as Marx said you were."
Kirby looked at me. He looked at the crown, examining the glowing eye on it. In the inside of my mouth, another bloodshot eye lay there.
Eyes, eyes, eyes. Kirby thought. And everything made sense.
Zero.
Magolor wasn't in control. It's the crown. Zero's crown. Magolor doesn't want to hurt me. He wants to be free. Free from the sad shell possessed by the Master Crown.
Kirby regained his color, and what a slippery thing he was. Jumping out of my hands, Kirby flew up to my crown.
No.
"I hate you." Kirby spat. "I hate everything that had to do with you! Why won't you just leave us alone?!"
No. He was breaking the crown.
"Stop!" I begged, and, surprisingly, he did. I smiled, pointing to the weakened Dedede, Bandanna Dee and Meta Knight.
"What do you think is stopping them from betraying you as well?" I asked, which seemed to appear to knock Kirby off guard. "They've all fought you in the past. You think just because you're all the best of pals now that it's going to remain that way?"
I could hear Dedede shout things, begging Kirby to understand that they were midunderstood, that they weren't evil. But I didn't care, and neither did Kirby, seeing as how he didn't appear to be listening.
"You thing you're friends? You think that just because you're friends it means that they're always going to be on your side? You think being friends is stopping them from stabbing you in the back, right between the shoulder blades, just like I did? And need I remind you what you thought I was?"
Kirby didn't reply, but I continued anyway.
"Your friend."
Kirby shook his head.
No, no, no, no... It was Zero controlling him, it's just Zero, it's just Zero! King Dedede, Bandanna Dee and Meta Knight would never do that! They were friends! Friends looks out for eachother! Friends don't lie to you and betray you!
But then he remembered Marx. How he had caused the Sun and the Moon to fight, so Kirby could wish to Nova for everything to go back to normal. But Marx simply pushed the puffball out of the way and sacrificed the wish for his own selfish desires.
Maybe Kirby /was/ gullible. Maybe he was too kind. But he knew exactly what to do this time.
"No." Kirby said, looking up at me triumphantly. "They won't betray me. They apologised. They knew what they had done wrong and reached for the good inside their hearts."
I cackled. "So if I just say 'sorry', everything will just be alright again?"
Kirby shook his head. "No." he repeated, sharpening his sword. "The difference is that they meant it."
And with one swift blow, the Master Crown shattered into a million pieces, the glass glistening down on the floor as I let out an ear-piercing screech.
"NoOOooOOOooO!"
Kirby fell to the ground, exhausted, but the others managed to catch him. They all stared at my soul as Zero's pressence left, never to be seen again as I transformed back into the lovable dork that I used to be.
I would thank Kirby and his friends, but it was too late as I was taken away by a bright light.
But my battle wasn't wasted at all, no, no. You see, that day, Kirby realised something.
You've got to be cruel to be kind.