I really wish we had a new Kirby anime. I loved the original and it's given me a whole lot of inspiration but it was so long ago. I'd especially love to see Haltmann get the anime treatment but also build more upon the GSA; there's so much that could be done with that. We need Shinya Kinishima on it. Oh, well. Thanks for the reviews so far and enjoy. :)

Chapter 4: Hosts

A lone Waddle Dee wandered about the countryside and groaned. The things that his liege made the Waddle Dees do could be pretty tasking and he liked to have his demands met immediately if not sooner. On the other hand, they had permanent board and food for which they were eternally grateful for and as long as they completed their tasks on time and properly as any employer would expect, the king wasn't too bothered about what they got up to. Really, the king had mellowed somewhat in recent years and he was even performing proper administrative duties in the whole of Dream Land nowadays even if one of the main reasons was to generally improve his standing amongst other royals on Popstar. So while traipsing around the outlying fields looking for lost golf balls was a bit of a pain, especially on a warm day like this, the Waddle Dee couldn't complain too much. Getting away from the other Waddle Dees for a while was even a bonus in some ways, particularly as the only reason he stood out was due to his blue bandana.

The Waddle Dee threw another golf ball into the basket. There must have only been a couple more to go now. It was possible he could even knock off early and go into town for an ice-cream and, if he was feeling especially indulgent, have extra sprinkles on top as well.

The Waddle Dee walked a little further when he noticed something glinting in the sun. Intrigued, he went to see what it was and discovered to his surprise that it was some kind of shard.

Unable to believe his good luck, the Waddle Dee picked up the crystal. How big it was! It would surely sell for a pretty penny. He turned it this way and that and admired how it caught the sun's rays. He had better keep it safe from the other Dees and perhaps more importantly, King Dedede – he hadn't lost his lustre for treasure over the years so it was best not to flaunt anything sparkly about before his gaze.

He didn't notice that he was being watched as he went about his business. The Waddle Dee didn't pay attention to his surroundings for he was much too merry; who wouldn't be after this find? And besides, who'd be out here on the king's private golf course apart from another Dee or a wayward tourist?

The Waddle Dee meant to continue his work when he noticed a curious shadow on the ground. Strange, that wasn't his own, was it? Nor did it appear connected to anything…

The shadow revealed a single eye, leapt up, and engulfed the Waddle Dee whole.

"Who goes there?" Captain Waddle Doo cried out. "Oh! Sir Meta Knight and Sir Kirby!"

The Waddle Doo saluted as the two puffballs approached accompanied by a pink-haired figure he had never seen before.

"Greetings, Captain," said Meta Knight, inclining his head in return. "This is Ribbon and she is a guest in Dream Land and of the GSA."

"Well then, welcome to Castle Dedede. I hope you'll enjoy your time here," he said, words that would have been received more warmly had Cappy Town not just been invaded less than ten minutes ago and if they had come from someone who didn't have just one, large eye; an uncomfortable reminder of Dark Matter.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to know what King Dedede is up to right now, would you?" Meta Knight enquired. "He has not changed in any discernible way, has he?"

Captain Waddle Doo frowned. "I think he was having a day off from ruling today or something like that; he's probably in his chambers or on the balcony. Er, he seemed fine this morning if that's what you're wondering. He ordered a triple-decker sandwich earlier if that helps."

"Perhaps so. Thank you, Captain; I'll leave you to your business."

Captain Waddle Doo pulled off a razor-sharp salute. "Sirs!"

He waved the trio over the drawbridge which was almost always down in any case except in times of emergency as according to tradition (though truthfully, it was more down to Dedede finding it too much of a hassle to have to wait for it to be lowered when he wanted to go out). Ribbon looked round the courtyard and well-kept gardens currently being attended to by a couple of Waddle Dees. She then gazed up at the towering sandstone walls and she would later see the plush décor inside as per the king's tastes. It was probably just as well she didn't know what kind of chaos had taken place inside these walls.

Meanwhile, Kirby scratched himself with embarrassment. "I'll never get used to being called a sir," he mumbled, abashed.

"You'll have plenty of centuries to get used to that," Meta Knight spoke, "and in my eyes, you have more than earned that title." At that, Kirby's cheeks turned red and he pretended to be distracted by something.

"Oh, er, should I have been calling you sir all this time?" Ribbon asked nervously, thinking it peculiar that this young boy could be referred to as such. Then again, if it was because of that strange power of his…

"N-no," Kirby stammered. "Kirby's just fine."

From his side, Meta Knight chuckled and his eyes turned blue. "Kirby does have the right of it due to his status as a Star Warrior but prefers not to most of the time even at the GSA where certain individuals should still use it out of respect. As it is, you may also refer to me just as Meta Knight. I do not require a title all the time."

"Oh, OK. Um, thank you," Ribbon said. "So… are you both Star Warriors then?"

Meta Knight nodded. "Indeed. Sir Arthur mentioned that Star Warriors are the elite force in the GSA but there is more to it than that with Star Warriors possessing certain strengths and skills that enable us to vanquish the enemy beyond that of Galaxy Soldiers. Skills such as Kirby's Copy Ability for example."

"The Copy Ability?"

"You saw it earlier," the pink puffball, the young Star Warrior said.

As they walked through the castle populated by numerous friendly Waddle Dees, Ribbon thought to herself that when the Great Crystal broke, she ought really to have been killed or left to drift endlessly in space. She could have landed on any other planet. She could have landed somewhere in the wastelands of this planet far away from civilisation and wandering alone, without help, without hope. Instead, she had literally crash-landed on top of Kirby, a young Star Warrior with a unique power and who was part of a group of warriors who swore an oath to protect the galaxy, the only people who could possibly help her. Of all the odds…

The Great Crystal must have guided her right after all.

"It appears that King Dedede is fine but I still want to check if anything suspicious has happened. Kirby, if you would, I would appreciate it if you speak with Tiff and Tuff about this now should they be in the castle while I'll make my own enquiries and take Ribbon to see his majesty. There will be no need to rush. You know what the king is like after all."

Kirby nodded and vaguely saying that he didn't know how long he would be, he dashed off eager to see his old friends once again.

Meta Knight went up the staircase with his cape draped around him as usual, something that Ribbon later found out he did practically all the time. He exuded an aura of calm it seemed, and when they had held the meeting the other day, it was clear even to the newcomer that the old Star Warrior was one who commanded respect from his colleagues, and someone perhaps to be greatly admired.

Once they reached the top, Meta Knight checked to see if there was anyone else around and, once satisfied that there wasn't, spoke to the fairy quietly.

"I would be grateful, Ribbon, if you could perhaps tell me how Kirby seems to you."

Ribbon could not help but be justly surprised by this sudden question. "I'm not sure if I can answer it all that well," the fairy said. "I'm sure you know Kirby better than me."

"An outside opinion can be helpful indeed."

Ribbon struggled over what to say; the old Star Warrior clearly had a special interest in Kirby though for what reasons she could not know. "He's very friendly," she finally said, the most obvious thing to remark about the pink puffball. "And he's been very kind to me." She briefly hesitated. "I don't know if everything is OK in Cappy Town though, if anything's happened before now, like something to do with Kirby and not everyone's happy about it. Something about being a target for demonbeasts." As soon as she said it, she felt as if she implicitly broke Kirby's trust and winced yet she felt she couldn't hold much back from this warrior. She hoped the information wouldn't be passed on.

Meta Knight, however, appeared quite unperturbed. He paused in his thoughts. "He has friends here whom he hasn't had the chance to spend time with for much too long; familial attachments to be more accurate. Our duties tend to separate us from the rest of civilisation on many occasions and while the veterans amongst us began our duties long after childhood, Kirby has not had that same advantage. He needs as many friends as he can get."

The fairy felt the weight of his words and nodded in apparent understanding for it was the only response she could make.

"Now, let us see if my knights know anything of importance that may help us out."

Ribbon hurried after Meta Knight down the long hallway and wondered as to the lack of explanation of his words. There was something more to this she supposed and while she did not know what aid she could possibly offer, she consoled herself in the meantime and thanked the stars that she had found good people to help her far away from Ripple Star and on the brightest planet in the galaxy.

A shadow crossed the land directing its host's footsteps. It sensed the presence of two earthbound stars within the boundaries of the kingdom. It did not have the power to overtake these as it did with this puny host – not while it had been greatly weakened by that infernal gem – but it could at least try to wear either of them down, especially the younger one, while it was so close in the vicinity. The Master desired this. It sensed also the presence of its equally shadowy comrades who also had the same goal in mind. They lived to exact the Master's wishes in any way possible; everything else paled in insignificance.

Their orders directed them to a castle.

"If you don't stay still, how do you expect me to paint you?"

"I thought you were supposed to be super speedy at this, girly!"

"You don't want me to do a bad picture of you by rushing, do you? Nor do I want to accidentally bring this painting alive. One of you is enough."

"Hey, you can't talk to me like that; I'm king round here!"

Meta Knight and Ribbon walked into the king's quarters to see a certain monarch trying to pose with a fruit bowl and a young girl wearing a red beret sticking her tongue out in concentration.

"Greetings, Adeleine, King Dedede."

"Oh, hi, Sir Meta Knight," Adeleine responded, wiping excess paint off her brush. "I haven't seen you for a while. You on another mission?"

"Hey, am I regulated to second place now?" the blue figure of considerable size grumbled. "An' who's the pink one?"

Meta Knight introduced them to each other and thankfully King Dedede was gratified, the latter knowing that he could show off his importance in this situation. Ribbon greeted King Dedede politely as was her wont but she couldn't help but think how… overbearing he was. This was a completely normal reaction.

"I guess you ain't payin' a social call an' decidin' to come back into my service full-time, eh?" Dedede said as he stood up from the sofa. "Shame really. I almost got fond of you."

"I told you earlier not to move!" Adeleine hissed.

"To cut to the chase, sire, have you seen any unusual crystalline shards? Have you…" Meta Knight hesitated slightly remembering that both had previously been affected by the events of the last incident. "Have you seen any signs of Zero or Dark Matter at all?" His question was followed by a paint box suddenly clattering onto the carpet.

Dedede rolled his eyes at the mess and folded his arms. "Sure ain't. I thought Kirby clobbered that there Dark Matter anyway."

Kirby's fought these things before, Ribbon realised. She felt another blossom of hope and an evermore rising respect for the young Star Warrior.

"I do not believe the central entity can be wholly destroyed, only stalled and weakened, though its offshoots can indeed be destroyed. I have not personally seen Dark Matter around but I urge you both to keep a strong lookout."

"S-Sir Meta Knight," the young artist quavered. "Do you mean a shard like… this?"

Adeleine pulled out a clear blue shard from her apron's pockets. "I found it earlier today when I was painting some landscapes. Is it dangerous?"

Meta Knight was about to answer when he noticed the room suddenly grow darker as if the sun was being swallowed up by an eclipse. Feeling an oppressive atmosphere descend upon them all, Meta Knight unsheathed his famed blade Galaxia. Once released from its impossibly short scabbard, golden light phased into existence creating a sword with extra, jagged points running on either side. Unwieldy-looking to most perhaps, but in the hands of an extremely experienced swordsman and one intimately connected to the weapon, it was more than just a sword.

Adeleine stepped back and dropped the Crystal Shard on the floor, wanting nothing more to do with it, and stayed near her canvas. She screamed when the canvas began to shake without warning and before their very presence, a member of Dark Matter emerged, blinking its single red eye.

Before Meta Knight could make a single move, Dark Matter launched itself straight at Adeleine and enveloped her in darkness.

"Thanks, Lady Like," Kirby grinned as she brought out another plate of biscuits baked with more enthusiasm than skill. Nevertheless, he eagerly scarfed the snacks down and ensured that not a single crumb was wasted. His stomach had settled down now and in familiar, comfortable surroundings, he felt relaxed. More so than he had in recent times in fact.

Lady Like beamed. "Oh, it is my pleasure, Kirby. You really should drop by more often; we miss having you around here."

"Mom," said Tiff, "Kirby doesn't get the same amount of time anymore and he won't do now with this new problem."

"Might as well invite the rest of the GSA over in the meantime," Tuff added. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind visiting." He pinched a lemon biscuit before instantly regretting it and its taste.

So much had changed in recent years. In previous times, Kirby was able to beat a monster in one day and then just play games in the next; hell, the next hour even. When Nightmare had been destroyed and Dedede could no longer order demonbeasts from his catalogues, consequently finally becoming more mature in the process, Kirby had seemingly endless leisure time in that brief, golden period, playing with his friends, Tiff, Tuff and the others, and just enjoying life as a child. It couldn't last.

The problem with having a considerable age gap to begin with, at least mentally speaking, was that they were inevitably going to drift onto different paths and have different life goals, especially Kirby whose path had inevitably already been decided for him without his consultation. Tiff and Tuff would have to take some responsibility in the workings of Dream Land and turn their minds to mundane, adult things and Kirby, without any close friends his age, had to give up playing games with the others earlier than anyone would have wished.

Even if that wasn't the case, the end of Nightmare hadn't meant the end of demonbeasts or the reign of evil. Far from it. With his tremendous potential and skillset, it was impossible that Kirby would ever stop being a Star Warrior. The dark fiends that invaded the whole of Popstar from time to time only proved that Kirby would forever be needed for his powers. It was his responsibility; it was his destiny.

Forced to mature fast and always developing his powers under his mentor's guidance, Kirby would always be there to beat back evil no matter how many times it rose up. Nevertheless, Kirby did try to retain some kind of normal life by visiting those whom he considered to be his family and putting aside time for leisure, even though he hadn't quite been able to pay a social call lately. Despite the intense pressure that came with being a heroic Star Warrior though, he was able to shoulder the burden well. Most of the time.

"You're being overworked, Kirby," said Tiff, voice full of concern. "You keep on yawning."

"I'm not," the pink puffball mumbled just as he stifled yet another yawn. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Can't you at least get someone to cover your duties for a while? Maybe you should talk to Meta Knight about it."

"It's not as easy as that," Kirby replied, "and Meta Knight's busy enough as it is."

"But—"

"Leave it, Tiff," said Tuff. Even as an adult, his hair still covered his eyes despite Lady Like's endless nagging. "You're starting to sound like Mom."

"So? I'm just trying to look out for Kirby. It's not as if we see you a lot anymore," Tiff added in Kirby's direction. The first thing Tiff had done when Kirby entered their quarters was, apart from a close hug, demand that he at least use some medicinal cream on the scratches he had picked up from his most recent battle, which apparently had become quite itchy since Kirby had constantly rubbed them during their conversation. She supposed she ought to have been used to seeing Kirby hurt in some way by now; she had seen him in much worse states before now and Kirby seemed to be rather accepting of it all, but it never got any easier.

"I guess you'll have your hands full finding these Crystal Stars then," Sir Ebrum piped up in a timely fashion, seeing Kirby looking somewhat embarrassed in a very similar manner as his children had done when they were adolescents. Thinking about it, Kirby was around that age now and Sir Ebrum was only glad that they hadn't needed to pick up a surely increased food bill for Kirby after all seeing that he would probably be even hungrier than normal at his age, that being the responsibility of the Galaxy Solider Army.

"Crystal Shards, Dad," Tiff and Tuff reminded him.

"I'll have help; it's not as if it's just me doing all this," Kirby assured them all. "And anyway, I want to help out Ribbon."

"Don't worry, Kirby, we all know you'll help out anybody, no problem," said Tuff.

"If we find anything out, we'll let you know," Tiff added.

Kirby smiled. Maybe they could use their newly-forged connections in the other kingdoms; Tiff had already promised that they would immediately pass on to the GSA any Crystal Shards they happened to receive from foreign correspondence. It was certainly better than nothing. "Thanks everyone, that's great."

For a while, they talked of normal things, something which Kirby appreciated even though he found himself distracted with thoughts drifting towards Ribbon. Maybe I should show Ribbon Cookie Country; I'm sure she'd like that. Maybe the Rainbow Islands? And maybe we—

There was suddenly a loud banging on the door followed by a voice crying, "Is Sir Kirby in here? We need his help!"

Sir Ebrum opened the door to reveal a very distressed Captain Waddle Doo.

"It's awful!" he wailed, waving his little sword and almost catching Sir Ebrum. "One of my Waddle Dees has just returned and... and something awful has happened and he's attacking the others! There are some other monsters about I've never seen before either and my poor Waddle Dees are still down there. They should still be on the drawbridge; we can't let them into the castle!"

There's more? Kirby groaned inwardly.

Nevertheless, without hesitation, Kirby leapt to action despite the cries of the others and, not bothering to take the stairs, jumped out of the open window and puffed himself up before reaching the ground. He ran across the courtyard and saw a number of trembling Waddle Dees attempting to point their spears at something. A moment later, an unseen force scattered them far apart, many even being blasted over the ramparts, leaving a clear path between Kirby and his foe. He gave a cry of shock.

"B-Bandana Dee?" he stuttered.

In his time in Dream Land and forever visiting the castle, Kirby had come to know a lot of people including the Waddle Dee army, helped by the fact they had now picked up the local language so that Captain Waddle Doo didn't need to translate all the time (although they were still rather quiet on the whole). Kirby had become particular friends with a Waddle Dee whose penchant for wearing a blue bandana made him highly recognisable. It was that bandana that told Kirby his friend had been transformed into something terrible. His friend had been possessed.

It could only be Dark Matter.

Kirby was forced to dodge a wave of enemies sent his direction by the possessed Bandana Dee attempting to crush him just like those in his earlier battle. They rampaged about the courtyard, casually destroying the carefully-pruned hedges and flower beds in the manner of a tornado storming the area. Attempting then some organisation, the swarm split into two groups and closed in on Kirby in a pincer movement. Kirby jumped on top of a low wall and kicked down one or two that tried climbing after him. From the corner of his eye, the young Star Warrior then noticed a loose pebble on the ground and immediately inhaled it to become Stone Kirby; now he could transform his body into rock at will making him almost completely invulnerable to attack at the cost of movement. This was fortunate since the monsters charged towards the pink puffball again to which Kirby responded by running into the swarm and activating his Copy Ability just before contact was made, enabling him to destroy several monsters simultaneously. From the edge of the battlefield by the various entrances, the Waddle Dees cowered, unnerved by seeing enemies not too dissimilar to themselves.

More Mariel, Bo and N-Z appeared out of nowhere. Kirby took to the air and once at a suitable height, plummeted down to the earth in stone form, smashing the ground beneath and squashing several monsters in one go. The Waddle Dees gave a ragged cheer for each successive defeat with Kirby pounding his foes using Stone Uppercut and occasionally defending himself in the form of a block, getting closer to his main opponent each time. However, the number of monsters never seemed to shrink, as if they were being automatically generated somehow, no matter how many the young Star Warrior killed.

Kirby finally managed to give himself some breathing space before he was pounced upon by the possessed Bandana Dee. Red eyes glowed like that of a demonbeast and Kirby felt the shadowy aura emanating from his friend.

"Bandana!" he gasped, trying to wrestle his friend off without seriously hurting him. "Snap out of it!" Even as he said the words though, Kirby knew that the only solution would be to essentially beat Dark Matter out of him. He remembered all too well the last time he had been forced to carry out these actions against friends.

Bandana Dee attacked Kirby again only to bounce off solid rock. This was repeated several times and Kirby could only hope that his friend would become exhausted from the ordeal and hence be freed before the young Star Warrior was forced to move from his defensive position and retaliate.

—Kirby!—

Cold fear raced through the young Star Warrior. The sound had come from Bandana Dee but it wasn't his voice. It was one he had heard before, fought before; a voice of darkness and evil.

—We meet again, young Star Warrior.—

Kirby realised the Mariel, Bo and N-Z had surrounded him. No matter what was happening, an accomplished warrior needed to be aware of their environment at all times.

"I beat you once, I can beat you again!" Kirby declared, ignoring the monsters behind him. The possessed Waddle Dee gave a laugh akin to crackling static.

—How coincidental that the Ripple Star fairy should land here and meet you. Master Zero is very interested in seeing you again and he will exact what is due. You will meet Master Zero again. Fate demands it.—

Kirby blanched at those words. So Zero is back!

"Kirby!"

Two voices called out for the young Star Warrior and they belonged to Sword Knight and Blade Knight, both charging down the gardens brandishing their weapons.

"We'll help you," Sword announced. "Not as if you're getting it from anywhere else, huh?"

"S'alright, we were bored anyways," Blade added.

Sword and Blade yelled and made began to make short work of the shadowy creatures leaving Kirby able to concentrate on freeing his friend without fear of the demonbeasts multiplying unchecked. Fortunately, the process was easier than expected and though Kirby hated himself for smacking Bandana Dee about, for causing him pain, it was over in a matter of minutes – it seemed that a Waddle Dee could not serve as a host for Dark Matter for long. A dazed Bandana Dee lay on the leaf-strewn ground and the monsters had been vanquished by the castle's knights. Before Kirby could approach though, a black miasma erupted from the Waddle Dee and soared into the air out of sight. Coughing, Bandana Dee breathed easier again. Shining in the light, a Crystal Shard lay at his side.

"Guess it's like as Sir Meta Knight said," Blade muttered, staring into the sky alongside his fellow knight. "So much my travel plans."

"Bandana, are you OK?"

Kirby raced over, not noticing that his adoptive family and Captain Waddle Doo had been watching from the sidelines for some time. His foot kicked against the light-blue shard making it shimmer. Bandana Dee and to Kirby's relief, they were his usual brown.

"Owwwwww…" he moaned. "I was only finding golf balls for his majesty and some shadowy thing attacked me out of the blue. You… you got rid of it, right, Kirby?"

The pink puffball nodded solemnly. "From you, yeah. I guess you just found this shard at the same time as well." He felt riddled with guilt. "Sorry I had to fight you, Bandana."

Bandana Dee sat up. "Oh, don't worry about it. It could have been worse. I suppose that shard's dangerous though and—oh. Probably not too dangerous then," he amended as Kirby swallowed the shard, keeping it out of harm's way.

Maybe Dark Matter is after the Crystal Shards, he thought. Maybe they want to destroy them wholly. One shard must be too weak to hold them off though. I hope we can get them together before it's too late… "Huh?" Kirby said as he realised Tiff was talking to him.

"If Zero knows you're here, Kirby," she said quietly, "you need to be on your guard. He'll want revenge against you."

"I know." Kirby rubbed his eyes. "Meta Knight's already—ah! Meta!"

Everyone stared at the young Star Warrior in confusion as he looked this way and that. Captain Waddle Doo in the meantime had gathered his troops together and was vigorously fussing over Bandana Dee despite the latter's assurances he was fine. "Sword, Blade," Kirby spoke. "I don't know if there might be more monsters so could you please stay out here for a while and protect the castle borders?" He couldn't quite hide his embarrassment as the two saluted and affirmed his request. "Uhh, Bandana, sorry I had to take the shard; it's important. Sorry about before. I, uhh, need to see Meta Knight."

Not for the first time, Kirby left his friends and comrades behind with little explanation and hoped they would not follow. He briefly noted that this was the kind of thing that Meta Knight would do. In recent years, he now knew why.

Kirby's heart pounded with fear as he raced up the staircase. Somehow, he knew that Meta Knight and Ribbon were in danger and while he knew that his mentor was perfectly able to protect himself, Ribbon could not and he desperately felt the need to protect her. Besides, Meta Knight would likely appreciate the assistance. Thus, from one battle to another, Kirby soon heard the sound of conflict coming from Dedede's private chambers. What a day this was turning out to be.

Still wielding his Stone Ability, Kirby barged through the double doors and saw the commotion unfold before him.